The Akatsuki Student Council
by gummiwummi
Summary: Sakura Haruno wasn't expecting much her first day at Konoha High School, but being asked by Itachi Uchiha, the Student Council President, to join the club as the Mascot was an offer she couldn't refuse! During her first year, each club member begins to develop romantic feelings for her, but which one will she choose?
1. Introductions

"Sakura, please get up! You're already behind schedule and I don't want you to be late!" Mebuki pulled the covers off of her daughter and yanked her out of bed.

Mebuki frowned at her lethargic movements. "Come on! Do you even realize what time it is? Get dressed or you'll be in a mess of a trouble!" She stomped to the door and slammed it behind her.

Sakura stumbled sleepily to her closet and pulled out her new uniform. At the beginning of every school year, Sakura always felt a strange sense of dread. She never wanted to get out of bed and her stomach would twist in knots on the walk to school. It was always the same. However, she was happy to be enrolled in Konoha High School. It was an elevator school so she never had to take entrance exams during elementary and middle school.

She pulled her knee socks on and slipped into her worn-out loafers. She met with her mother at the foot of the stairs.

"Here's your bento and backpack. Now hurry up and go or you'll be late!" Mebuki pushed Sakura out the door and closed it behind her.

Sakura cursed under her breath and checked the time on her wristwatch.

8:17 A.M. She only had thirteen minutes before school started! She raced down the streets, dodging oncoming men and women.

If she's late on her first day of high school, she most likely would hold a bad reputation with her fellow students and teachers.

Not paying attention to her surroundings, Sakura ran through a crosswalk as a car was speeding forward. The driver, distracted, didn't notice the girl that would soon be crashing into his car. She turned to the car and screamed. She closed her eyes tightly and felt herself land on the hard pavement.

"Are you alright?" a concerned voice asked. Sakura's eyes opened slowly and noticed a boy hovering over her. His onyx eyes stared intently at the schoolgirl. She nodded her head and the boy presented a hand to help her up.

His appearance seemed familiar, but she couldn't match a name to his face. He wore the male uniform of her school, but his collar was a dark red representing a third year. He picked up her bento and placed it in her small hands.

"Hopefully that didn't get ruined," he commented. The sound of the school bell rang in the distance and the two exchanged glances.

He patted her head and smiled softly. "Don't be worried, I'll escort you there."

She hesitated for a moment, but accepted the gesture.

As they entered school, they walked to their designated lockers and stepped into their slippers. She ran to the board and searched for her name.

**Sakura Haruno - Class 2 - A**

The boy stepped behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let's go to the auditorium. That's where Tsunade-sama and the other students will be waiting."

Sakura took an empty seat near the door and the mysterious, young man joined her. "Shouldn't you be sitting with your class?" This was her first time actually speaking to him - damn her shyness towards strangers.

"It's not that big of a deal," he stated.

Tsunade walked in the center of the stage. "Another year... Another new group of faces. As the principal of Konoha High School, I hope to show the first years that their hopes and dreams can be achieved by hard work and determination. Also, cultivating friendships will help the next three years to be exciting and endearing. Please take time to join clubs and study! I will now let the Student Council President share a few words to conclude the entrance ceremony!"

"_Entrance ceremony? We don't even have to do anything, but register for another year_," Sakura thought to herself.

She was surprised as the boy beside her stood up.

"Well, I'm off now." He walked to the stage and a roar of hoots and hollers filled the room. Everyone clapped and cheered as he climbed the stairs and stood beside Tsunade.

"Thank you all. Being the president of the Student Council is quite an honor and I am glad that I will be able to help guide the future of this school. Please be aware that clubs will be accepting new members next week and I advise all first years to participate. Clubs help mold new friendships and possible career interests. Please head to your homerooms and face the new year with bright optimism."

As he finished, many of the second year and third year students clapped showing extreme respect. Many of the students left the auditorium, but Sakura was still in shock that she was just speaking to the Student Council President.

Ino Yamanaka spotted the pinkette and poked her cheek. "Hi there! I haven't seen you for a while, Sakura. What class are you in?"

Sakura smiled at the blonde. "I'm in Class 2 - A. Please tell me we're sharing the same homeroom."

She jumped in excitement and grabbed Sakura's hand. "Hell yeah! Come on, let's go talk before class starts! I hope we have some cute boys in our class!" Sakura looked back for a moment, but the boy had already left the stage. She felt ashamed for not thanking him properly - hopefully she can find him after school and show her gratitude.

The girls talked of their time off school while other students entered and sat at random desks. Many of the students were in her homeroom last year and she could easily identify them.

Ino nudged Sakura and pointed at the most popular student in their entire class walking through the doorway.

"Sasuke-kun is in our homeroom! Isn't that amazing!" Ino gushed. Sakura blushed slightly and stared at the raven-haired boy.

Sakura had an intense crush on Sasuke ever since kindergarten and not much has changed since then. Sasuke could feel countless pairs of eyes on him, but continued to stare off into space.

In her daze, she ignored the sound of someone settling in the seat next to her. "Hi, Sakura-chaaan! How was your break?"

"_You've got to be kidding me._" Sakura turned to find Naruto inches away from her face. The idiot was oblivious to her constant refusals to date him last year - apparently he still was.

"Stop bugging me! The first day of the new school year and you're already annoying the crap out of me?" She pushed him back in his seat and caused him to topple backwards.

He landed on a girl's lap. "Oh, sorry, Hyuuga-san." Naruto stood up and sat back in his chair. Hinata tried her best to hide her reddened cheeks, but failed miserably.

"I-it's okay, Naruto-kun," she squeaked.

The class continued with their conversations as a man walked in with a surgical mask covering the lower section of his face. "Good morning, students. I will be the first teacher of the day for you and will be teaching you World Literature. However, for right now, we will be introducing ourselves. I'll go first..." He leaned against the chalkboard and crossed his arms. "My name is Kakashi Hatake, but you will address me as Kakashi-sensei. I don't consider myself the best at my job, but I make sure to assist anyone who doesn't understand the material correctly. I don't have a favorite color and what I do on the weekends is my business. Who wants to go next?"

The room stayed silent for a moment, but Naruto's hand shot up immediately. "Okay, so who are you?" Kakashi was surprised that someone actually volunteered.

Naruto stood up and bounced around with excitement. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. Although I'm not very smart with school subjects, I know my way around fighting and my main objective is to join the Martial Arts Club and work my way up to become the captain! My favorite color is orange and I train on the weekends!"

Kakashi was impressed by his determination. The masked teacher waited for another volunteer, but nobody seemed very thrilled like the whiskered boy. "I guess I'll just have to go by the class roster then." He peered down at the list of names as the class groaned in unison. "Shino Aburame? Please stand up and tell us about yourself."

A brown, spiky-haired boy with sunglasses stood from his desk. "My name is Shino Aburame. I don't particularly have much to say about myself, but I plan on creating my own club focusing solely on entomology. My favorite color is moss green and I study insects on the weekends."

"Interesting. Choji Akimichi."

A chubby boy placed a bag of snacks in his desk and stood up. "I'm Choji Akimichi and I will beat up anyone who calls me 'fatty' - I hate that! My best friend is Shikamaru and I plan on joining the Cooking Club. I don't have a favorite color, but my favorite food is Korean barbecue!"

"Sakura Haruno?" He instantly looked to the pink-haired girl and predicted she would stand up; he was right as he watched her move from her desk.

She looked around as everyone's eyes were on her. She cleared her throat, "My name is Sakura Haruno and my favorite subject is History and my least favorite is Science. I'm not sure of which club to join, because I like many things. My favorite color is red and I like to hang out with my friends on the weekends."

He continued down the list: Hinata Hyuuga could barely even share her name and everyone waited patiently as she finished. Kiba Inuzuka talked about his interest in animals and his objective to become a veterinarian like many of the members in his family. Shikamaru Nara stood up sluggishly and drawled on about his hobby of cloudwatching and joining Choji in the cooking club - although he wished that they had a Shogi Club.

All the girls in the class waited patiently as Sasuke Uchiha's name was called. He sighed and crossed his arms. "You all clearly know my name. I don't really want to tell you anything about myself because it's none of your business. I want to get through high school and become the Chief of Police just like my father." The girls in the class clapped happily, leaving the boys to wonder what was so damn special about him.

"Well, since we introduced ourselves, I'd like to inform you of the rules in my classroom." Kakashi recited the guidelines that every teacher stated ever since she was a child. She looked past Ino's shoulder and out the window. She watched as a few kids, probably delinquents, loitered around the wall of the school. To her surprise, she noticed the dark-haired senior who had saved her that morning. He seemed to be scolding the kids and quickly dragged them back into the school.

"_He must take his position as president very seriously,"_ she thought. Kakashi finished the rules and stated they had the rest of time to talk.

Ino turned her chair to face Sakura. "Gosh, this teacher is so laid-back. I'm sure that this class will be fairly easy to pass," she laughed.

Sakura agreed, "Yeah, and he's so brutally honest about himself. He must not take this job very seriously!" The girls gossiped and wondered what the other sensei would be like. Naruto and Hinata happily joined their conversation and the four changed the topic to club activities.

"I'm so excited about the clubs being open next week! Sakura you should join the Sewing/Fashion Club with me!" Ino exclaimed. Sakura opposed loudly stating that she would end up sticking her fingers more than actually progressing in the work.

"Does anyone know what club Sasuke-kun's joining?" Sakura asked, curious.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Who cares? It'll probably be something stupid anyway."

Ino leaned forward and spoke in a hushed voice. "I heard that he's going to be asking for a seat on the Student Council. His grades were the highest in our class last year, so I think he'll receive it."

Shikamaru overhead the gossip and pushed his chair towards the group. "Being part of the Student Council means you have to actually speak with your fellow classmates and other students in the school. Not to be rude, but Sasuke lacks communication. I doubt he'll join any clubs."

Ino punched Shikamaru's chest and scowled. "Don't talk about him that way! Sasuke-kun's way too good for your shitty opinion!"

"Why do all you girls treat him like a god? He ignores all of you for no reason."

Naruto chuckled, "Maybe he's gay!"

A pale hand grabbed Naruto's shoulder. "Gay you say?" Startled, Naruto slowly turned to see Sasuke glaring down at him.

"Oh, I thought you were someone important," Naruto stated casually.

Ino and Sakura whacked him on the head with their notebooks. "Shut up, Naruto!" they yelled together.

A loud chime rang around the school notifying the teachers to switch rooms.

The next three periods were the same as the first: Kurenai-sensei explained that she would be teaching them English and English Composition and reminded them of the rules. Asuma-sensei ordered them to keep their mouths shut and said he would be teaching World History. He seemed pissy, but Ino whispered it was because he couldn't smoke during class hours and only at lunchtime. A spunky, new teacher walked into the classroom and announced herself as Anko-sensei. Her voice was rough and loud the entire time, but her demeanor seemed to be the funniest out of the four Sakura had seen. The bell rang and she reminded them that they had fourty-five minutes to eat lunch and visit friends in different classrooms.

"Sakura, I have to go to the bathroom can you come with me?" Ino asked. Sakura agreed and exited their classroom. On the way to the girls' restroom, Sakura caught a glimpse of the president walking in the opposite direction.

"Ino I just remembered I have to go do something." She left the girl and raced after him.

"Wait!" she called, getting his attention. She bowed slightly. "I'm sorry if I'm bothering you..."

He shook his head and smiled politely. "Not at all is there something you need?" His eyes were gentle and kind.

She fidgeted with the hem of her skirt. "I wanted to thank you for saving me this morning. If you hadn't been there, I don't know what would have happened," she said.

He faced her completely and placed his hands in his pockets. "It was nothing really I'm sure anyone else would have done it," he replied lightly.

"Well, I'm very grateful to you. If you're ever in need of something, I will gladly do my best to help."

He began to speak, but paused. His expression show him deep in thought. He pulled his hands from his pockets and pointed directly at her. "I know what you can do, girl. Although club activities don't technically start until next week, come to the Student Council room after school. We'll discuss it then." He tore a small piece of paper from a bulletin board near them and took a pencil out. He scribbled the room number on the paper and handed it to her.

"Don't be late," he stated and walked back to his homeroom.

It was too late to try and get his attention and yet Sakura desperately wanted to know his name. She folded the paper twice and held it tightly in her hand. Ino exited the bathroom and the girls walked back to class to enjoy their lunch.

After lunch, Shizune-sensei boasted about teaching them Health Economics and went over the syllabus. She seemed too proud of her job, but most of the guys were drooling over her good looks and ignoring everything she was saying.

Next period, they were handed their PE uniforms, but were only going over the fundamentals of exercise and teamwork. Gai-sensei was bouncing off the walls while many of the students questioned his mental status. The first day was always the most boring, no wonder Sakura didn't want to wake up this morning.

The last period of the day seemed the worst due to Kakashi returning back to teach Biology. Naruto questioned the idea of a teacher knowing two entirely different subjects for no good reason, only to waste more years at a university. Kakashi retorted by stating his college days happened to be the best in his life and that was the reason he prolonged his teaching career.

The bell rang and the students were dismissed. Sakura placed her things in her desk and unfolded the piece of paper. She waved goodbye to her friends and walked down to a closed door marked as the Student Debate Room. She hesitated for a moment, but reminded herself of the promise. As she reached for the handle, the door slammed open and smacked her in the face.

"Shit, what the hell did you do, Deidara?!" a voice growled within the room.

"I didn't know she was there, I swear!"

Sakura opened her eyes and rubbed her aching nose. A boy with bright, yellow hair leaned over her. "I'm really sorry, hm."

Sakura punched the boy and yelled angrily at him, "You jerk! Watch what you're doing next time!"

She heard laughter erupt in the room and noticed five other boys sitting in the room - one being the President. Deidara cursed at his friends. "Damn you! Shut the hell up!"

"It's not our fault that a girl can land an easy blow on you!" a blue-skinned boy snickered.

Deidara growled and stomped out of the room. The president motioned Sakura into the room and she sat silently.

"I apologize for being unable to explain the purpose of your presence here earlier, I had matters to attend to," he said calmly.

He spoke so... mature for his age, but then again he _**was **_the president.

"Your offer for saving you was too good to pass up. I simply need your services."

"My services?" she repeated.

The senior nodded. "I need you to join the Student Council. If we don't acquire a female member we would most likely be turned down by several students in the other clubs when preparing for Sports Day and the Cultural Festival. Your membership will cause us to receive much more attention and prove that we do not discriminate against the opposite sex."

His request took Sakura by surprise. She never expected to be asked to join a club so early... and the Student Council!

"Will you do it?" he asked.

She realized that she most likely would never get this chance again. "Yes, I would love to!"

All the boys in the room sighed in relief.

"That's good to hear. For a second there, I thought I would have to threaten you," a silver-haired boy commented bluntly.

The man beside him slapped the back of his head. "Shut up, Hidan. You have no decency, do you?"

The president raised his hand to silence the group. "Since everyone is here-"

"Deidara's not here," the lone redhead in the corner stated.

"I don't care," the president stated and continued, "We will now begin the Student Council. I am the President and third-year student, Itachi Uchiha."

Itachi... _**Uchiha?! **_How could she not have noticed the similar features? They were almost identical and yet she couldn't even put the two together! Now it made sense why Sasuke wanted to join the Student Council - to follow in his brother's footsteps.

The blue-skinned man beside him stood up. "I'm Kisame Hoshigaki, third-year, and Vice President of the Student Council."

The boy who threatened Sakura stood up. "I'm Hidan, third-year and First Committee member of the Student Council."

He yanked the young man next to him up by his arm and snickered, "This is Kakuzu, he's the ass of the club!"

Kakuzu punched Hidan and threw him across the room. "I apologize for his idiocy. I am Kakuzu and I am the Treasurer of the Student Council and also a third-year student."

Sakura turned to the redhead and watched as he stood up sluggishly. "I'm Sasori. I'm a second-year and the Second Committee Representative."

Itachi turned to Sakura and folded his hands in his lap. "The boy that slammed the door in your face is Deidara; he is the Secretary of the Student Council. Your position would most likely be the Mascot."

Sakura laughed dryly in disbelief, "The Mascot?"

Kisame shifted in his seat. "You're the face of the Student Council. Over half of our club members are third-year students, so we will be leaving for University after this year is finished. Your job is to draw people in to join the Student Council after we leave," he explained.

"So make sure to be fucking confident and not a whiney bitch," Hidan added.

Sakura was astounded by his foul mouth. Itachi, noticing her shocked expression, explained, "Hidan isn't a very honorable member of this team, but he is close friend - you'll have to ignore his cursing."

Deidara joined the group later and they began discussing rules that all the members had to follow. After the regulations were deliberated. They talked of normal, everyday things. Sakura was happy to be part of the group; they included her on many topics and broke her from her shyness quickly.

The hours passed and Itachi dismissed them. Sakura flung her backpack over her shoulders and headed home. When placing her slippers in her locker at the entrance of the school, Itachi stepped behind her.

"Sakura."

She turned to him. "Yes, senpai?"

He smiled and tousled her pink hair. "Watch out for cars this time."

* * *

**A/N:**

**I've been DYING to write this fanfiction. I love Sakura x Akatsuki and I love high school stuff too. This won't be based on the actual manga/anime at all so their ages are obviously altered. This will focus on random adventures (with a possible plot) featuring Sakura and the Akatsuki/Student Council.**


	2. Meet The Advisor!

Sakura walked down the stairs and sat down at the kitchen table. "I'm glad that you're awake in time for breakfast, Sakura," her mother noted, placing her meal on the table.

Kizashi thumbed through the morning paper. "How has class been going?" He was busy with his job the past week and was unable to talk to her due to an important deadline.

"It's okay, I'm doing fine," she answered monotonous. She finished her breakfast and ran to grab her bento from the kitchen counter.

"Bye guys! I'll see you after my club!" She hopped down each step and caught up with Itachi, waiting patiently.

"Good morning, Sakura-san," he greeted. She skipped merrily in front of him causing the Uchiha to raise his eyebrows.

"Why are you so happy?" he asked, amused.

She twirled around and smiled widely. "It's finally the day where club activities begin! I'm so excited I can barely contain myself!"

He laughed and followed her to school. On the way through the entrance, a teacher she didn't recognize scolded two students.

His reddish-orange hair and piercings didn't appear professional and caused Sakura to stare awkwardly. The teacher noticed her humiliating stare and blushed furiously.

"What are you looking at? Get to class!" he yelled, flustered.

Itachi grabbed her wrist and apologized. He dragged her into the school and the two stopped at the lockers. Itachi sighed, "Seriously? Next time, don't be so rude."

"But those piercings! How did they let him become a teacher here?!" Sakura argued.

"Pein-sensei is a very intelligent man. They hired him due to his incredible teaching skills and creative ideas on controlling student behavior at and around school. Appearances aren't always what matter."

Sakura peered over her shoulder at the teacher. His ringed eyes were sharp as daggers monitoring the students entering the school.

"Even if he's smart and strict with regulations, he still looks strange. I hope I never have a class with him," she proclaimed.

Itachi placed his shoes in his locker. "Did I forget to mention that Pein-sensei happens to be the advisor of the Student Council? And, unlike many advisors, attends the club meetings each time there is one."

Her heart skipped a beat. That man as the Student Council advisor?! The clubs she would have expected him to represent with his hard, stony appearance would be the Wrestling Club or anything with scary looking students. Now she has to deal with him the entire year.

The school bell rang and Itachi headed to his homeroom. "Remember, our first meeting is after school," he reminded her.

Sakura took her time walking to class and accidentally bumped into a petite woman. If she had been wearing the female student's uniform, Sakura would have easily mistook her for a student. Her blue hair was pulled back in a loose bun and her long bangs framed her face perfectly. A large paper rose, most likely handmade, was fastened in her hair.

"I'm very sorry, sensei," Sakura mumbled, bowing respectfully.

The woman smiled and handed Sakura an origami butterfly. "It's alright. I'm Konan-sensei and, although club meetings begin today, the Origami Club is still accepting new members. I'm the sponsor so if you're into it, please come by Room 212," she said quietly. She passed around the corner and out of Sakura's sight.

During her classes, Sakura fiddled with the paper butterfly under her desk. It was beautifully made and from a certain point of view, looked realistic. Konan-sensei was a very nice woman, but Sakura felt bad knowing that she would not be attending the club.

Although Konoha High did not set a limit on how many clubs a student can participate in, origami was not her forte and frustrated her easily. Hinata was much more suited for the club due to her gentle and patient personality.

Midway through lunch, Hidan walked into the room.

"Whoa! What's a third-year doing in here?" Naruto exclaimed.

Hidan rolled his eyes arrogantly. He motioned Sakura to follow him, but Ino caught Sakura's sleeve.

"What are you doing? You should stay with us and eat," she whispered.

Sakura picked up her bento and smiled. "Sorry, I'll come back as soon as I can." Ino released Sakura and watched as she joined Hidan in the hallway.

"What do you think that guy wanted?" Hinata asked.

Ino shrugged and took a bite of her onigiri. Sakura's already hanging out with senior boys? Ino wanted to find out how.

Hidan opened the door to the Student Council and guided Sakura into the room. The five others were already enjoying their lunch. She sat down at the far corner of the room.

Itachi slurped down some noodles. "Why are you sitting back there? Come sit around your club members and join in the conversations," he ordered.

"But, I-"

"If you're going to be the Mascot of the Student Council, you can't be shy," Deidara cut in.

Sakura groaned loudly and walked to the chair next to Kakuzu. She hadn't even noticed the head of orange hair standing next to the window. "_He even comes here during lunch hour?!_"

Itachi walked to Sakura. "You should go apologize to Pein-sensei. It'll help dissolve any hard feelings that he may have for you at the moment," he whispered.

"I'm kind of busy eating, I'll wait until the next Ice Age," she sassed.

Itachi's eyes narrowed and he pushed her bento off the table. "Well, you don't seem too busy now," he responded.

She slammed her chopsticks onto the table and glared menacingly at Itachi. He ignored her incivility and pulled her from her chair. The rest of the group snickered and whispered as she made her way cautiously to the teacher. She tapped his shoulder hesitantly and almost leaped ten feet away when he turned around.

"What is it," he grunted.

Sakura cupped her hands together and bowed. "I'm sorry for this morning, Pein-sensei. It was rude of me to stare like that." He grunted again and went back to staring out the window. Sakura turned on her heels, but Itachi's cold stare persuaded her to try again. She crept beside him and peered out the window. Near the entrance of the school, Konan-sensei sat with some students.

"Hey, that's Konan-sensei!"

All of the students gasped in the room. She furrowed her brow and took out the origami butterfly she received earlier. "She gave me this. Isn't it pretty?"

The boys shifted nervously in their seats and avoided her gaze. The pinkette was confused and turned to Pein to question their bizarre behavior. To her surprise, Pein was huddled in the corner with what she sensed as self-pity in his expression.

What the hell?

Sasori leaned in his chair balancing on the two, back legs. "Those two have known each other for a long time. Pein-sensei asks her out constantly, but she always rejects him," he expounded. Sakura felt her ears burn with embarrassment and kneeled down to face the depressed teacher.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she repeated.

Pein regained his stoic composure and shook his head at the girl. "I'm fine. Just go back to your seat," he grumbled.

Sakura bowed once more and joined her club members at the table. Although she enjoyed the conversations, her mind focused only on Pein-sensei. A cheerful tune interrupted the conversation and Pein fished for his cell phone in his pocket Pein apologized and left the room answering the phone.

Sakura stood up and placed her hands firmly on the surface of the table. "We should do something for Pein-sensei!" she announced.

Kakuzu rested his chin on the table and narrowed his dark eyes. "Can you be a bit more specific?"

"Let's bring Konan-sensei and Pein-sensei together!"

The boys groaned in unison and opposed the proposal.

"Sakura-san, we're not here to play Cupid; we're a Student Council," Itachi stated.

"Besides, Pein-sensei is a wreck around girls. I'm surprised that he could speak so well with you," Deidara added.

Sakura continued, "I know that we're Student Council, but he looks so upset! I want to do something nice for him." She scrunched up her nose, but still ended up looking cute rather than the serious expression she was hoping for.

Itachi turned to the other members, but their expressions seemed indifferent.

He decided, "Okay, we'll help, but if this goes to hell quickly, then you owe us for taking away our personal time."

"You won't even have to think of something because I know we'll succeed! Let's bring Pein-sensei and Konan-sensei together!"

The group sat on the stairs, waiting for Pein to exit the school. In a minute's time, Pein exited the school, reminding a few students not to forget their assignments.

He was surprised when the group surrounded him. "Oh, I thought you guys cancelled the meeting today since the Student Council room was empty." A chill ran down his spine as Sakura pushed through the crowd.

"Pein-sensei, we want to help you date Konan-sensei!" Her eyes burned with fiery passion - she always wanted to play matchmaker.

Pein scowled, "I don't need help asking her out! You guys are just kids so stop humiliating me!"

"No offense, sensei, but you suck at talking to girls," Kakuzu said, bluntly.

A red tinge spread across his cheeks. "I do not! How dare you talk to an authority figure in such a way!"

His blush deepened as Sakura grasped his hand. "I can tell that you get easily embarrassed around girls because of your sensitive personality, sensei. Please let us help you!"

Pein could sense the stubborn determination stemming from her fierce look - he gave up. "Fine, but if you screw this up for me, you'll suffer dire consequances!"

Her stomach lurched, but her uneasiness was masked with a confident smile. "It will be easy! Let's-"

"Wait, are we doing this now?" Deidara interrupted.

"I was hoping to," Sakura answered.

He slumped his shoulders. "Aw, great! Now I can't relax for the rest of the night!"

"Technically, it is the day to begin club activities - let's think of this as the first goal to reach in the Student Council," Itachi declared.

The corners of Kisame's mouth curved downward while he stood away from the steps. "The problem with this is most of us do not know what causes a girl to like a boy. If only we had the opportunity to explore the mind of an actual girl."

The boys huddled together. "Yes, it's quite the obstacle. Maybe we can go around the school tomorrow and observe femine phenomenon," Kakuzu suggested.

Sakura was in disbelief of their stupidity. "Um, guys-"

"Wow, 'feminine phenomenon'! Damn, that's a good tongue-twister - try saying it three times!" The boys repeated the word thrice, but they failed the challenge each time they recited the verse.

Pein and Sakura exchanged perplexed looks and waited for them to acknowledge the young schoolgirl.

Sasori snapped his fingers. "I've got it. How about we disguise Deidara as a girl and have him write down their activities in a journal?"

"No way am I dressing up as a girl!" Deidara protested.

"Are you all idiots?! Do you not remember that you had me join your club _**because**_ I am a girl?!" Sakura yelled.

"Oh yeah, I guess we forgot since we've known you for so long," Itachi stated.

"We've only known each other for a week!" she argued.

Itachi stopped her from continuing the arguement by poking her forehead. "How about we get started? Where do you all want to eat and discuss this - I'll pay," he requested.

The boys cheered and mutually agreed on Isen, a restaurant Sakura had never heard about. The group entered a building that greatly resembled an office building. They were greeted warmly by a tall woman and Sakura followed them up a long stairway.

The group of eight fit snugly in a wooden booth and Itachi ordered a plate of katsu for each of them.

"So, what do girls like in a guy, Sakura?" Itachi asked with a mischievous grin.

"_This is going to be a long_ night," Sakura thought as each pair of eyes waited for her to begin.


	3. I Really Love The Color Of Your Hair

"Girls love confidence! In most cases, girls usually wait for the guy to make the first move," she started.

"But, Pein-sensei asks her out all the time! Isn't that showing confidence?" Hidan disputed.

"Just because Pein-sensei made the first move doesn't mean he's confident. Confidence also has to do with the delivery of the request," she answered. She squeezed out of the booth and faced Pein. "Since you asked her out dozens of times, can you give a demonstration?"

"O-of course not!" he stammered.

Sakura placed her hands on her hips and frowned. "Pein-sensei, if we're going to help you, you have to be cooperative!" She pulled him from the booth and positioned him facing her. "Now, I'm going to go down the stairs and come back up. When I enter the room again, pretend I'm Konan-sensei, okay?"

Pein, clearly embarrassed, nodded his head. She left the room for a moment and came waltzing back in.

He straightened his posture and walked casually towards her. "Hey, there, Konan-chan. I was...," he trailed off as his face grew redder. He turned away and swallowed down a lump in his throat.

"Yes?" Sakura prompted.

He peeked back at the boys and each gave him a thumbs up or pressed him to continue. His gaze switched to Sakura as he tried to build up his courage. "W-would you go on a date with m-me?" He sighed in relief after finishing his question.

Sakura pondered and smiled. "No, I will not!" Pein dropped to the floor in a huddled mass of depression.

"Sakura-san! You're supposed to be helping him, not trying to make him feel worse!" Deidara yelled.

Sakura grabbed Pein by the scruff of his button-up shirt. "Pein-sensei, you can't stutter and choke like that! This is serious stuff and you need to stop joking around!"

She barely noticed a small surge of sadness in Pein's eyes - could she have been too tough on him? She released him from her grasp and thought deeply of her last words. She ran the sentence over and over in her head, but nothing seemed too rude or disrespectful.

"Is something wrong, Sensei?" Sakura asked.

Pein perked up and walked back to the booth. "No, I'm okay."

"You know what you really need to do is lay on the charm," Hidan suggested.

"Charm?" Sasori asked, wondering what lame pick-up lines he had ready.

"Yeah, buy some charms and shit! I was reading about how certain charms can make a girl fall in love with you! I've done it before and it really works," he said proudly.

"I didn't know you could read," Kakuzu muttered.

"I didn't know he liked girls," Itachi added.

Hidan gritted his teeth. "Assholes! Shut up! I know what we should do and it'll help Pein-sensei!"

"Please explain," Kisame said flatly.

"Okay, we go out to an apple orchard and take an apple hanging off one of the trees. Pein-sensei cuts the apple in half and carves his initials on one side and Konan-sensei's on the other. He then takes both pieces of the apple and sews them back together! When he finishes sewing, he ties a ribbon around it and hangs it back on the tree he took it from. Afterwards, he chants 'Apple of love, leaf of tree, find her, and bind her, now to me!' "

"That sounds so outragious, Hidan-san. The closest apple orchard is ten miles south and I'm not going to all that trouble," Kakuzu protested.

The boys continued pitching ideas around the table and each one was turned down. Sakura noticed the disgruntled expression on Pein's face and grew concerned. She wanted to ask what was bothering him, but worried that she could be the cause of his annoyance.

Hidan wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Fine, I'll prove to you all that my charm will work perfectly! I'll carve my name and Sakura-chan's into an apple; the next time you see us, we will be the hottest couple at school!"

"Like hell!" she yelled, pulling his finger backwards. He screeched in surprise and placed firm pressure to stop the pain in his throbbing finger.

Itachi wiped his mouth and peered over at the quiet teacher. "Pein-sensei, what's bothering you?"

Pein fell back into reality and looked down at his uneaten meal. "The reason why I have trouble speaking with Konan-chan is because of something we both lost in our childhood," he confessed.

The club members leaned forward and listened to his tale.

**(Flashback)**

Konan walked to school and accidentally bumped into a third-year. "Watch where you're going, moron!" the girl yelled.

Konan whispered an apology, but the girl walked away. Her meek personality led to many hardships during her middle school years. She never made a friend and she wanted to change herself before high school began. However, her shyness made this impossible and she continued to live her school years in the shadows of her classmates.

Early September, Konan sat in the back of the classroom eating her lunch. A boy with bright, orange hair took the seat next to her and smiled politely. Konan didn't recognize him, but greeted him with rosey cheeks and a slow wave.

"I just moved here from a small town to the east. You looked a little lonely so I wanted to join you. My name is Yahiko, what's yours?"

He laughed as her cheeks reddened. "So, your name is Konan?"

"How did you know?" she squeaked.

He pointed to the bento with her name written sloppily on the case. Her skin took on the likeness of a tomato as he picked up the paper crane she had worked on during class. "Wow, this is amazing. Can you do other things like this?"

Konan was surprised that he praised her for her work. She nodded her head. He showed a dopey grin and pulled out a sheet of normal, notebook paper, "Can I watch you?"

"Sure." He handed her the paper and she began performing the art of her favorite hobby. In short time, she presented him with a rose.

He was bewildered by her amazing talent. "This is so cool! I wish I could do origami!"

"I can teach you," she mumbled.

He bobbed up and down in his seat. "I'd love to learn," he shouted happily. A group of students hushed him, but Yahiko ignored their stuffy behavior.

Konan couldn't have been happier during that lunch hour. She went through the lesson slowly, but Yahiko's workmanship was poor. When he finished, he handed her the lop-sided rose. "I'm not even close to your skill, but it's alot better than what I was expecting. Thanks to you as a teacher, of course!"

The bell rang and Yahiko stood from the desk. "You're leaving?" Konan asked sadly.

"Yeah, I was just walking past this room and noticed you in here. My homeroom is 1 - A, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends right?"

A true smile bloomed across her lips. "Yes. It was very nice to meet you, Yahiko-kun." He smiled and ran out of the classroom.

The two continued to eat lunch together and grew closer. Yahiko continued to practice his origami, but could not match Konan's advanced abilities. He was her first friend and the only person she talked about at home during dinner.

In their second year of high school, a red-haired boy sat silently by himself during the entrance ceremony. Konan tugged on Yahiko's sleeve and asked silently if they could join him.

The boy showed no reaction when the two sat in the seats beside him. Yahiko tried peeking over to see his face, but the boy's long bangs covered his eyes. "Are you a freshman?" he asked.

He nodded and continued to stay mute during the large portion of the ceremony. Konan knew how it felt to be lonely, but this young man didn't even try to act friendly. His body language read as reserved and uncomfortable.

"I really love the color of your hair," she said shyly.

She grew concerned when his round face turned red. "Thanks," he peeped.

As Sarutobi-sama finished his speech, the students clapped and walked to their homerooms.

The boy stood up and squeezed past Konan. Before he left, he peered ove his shoulder. Konan and Yahiko noticed a small smile appearing on his once stoic expression. "My name is Nagato, but everybody in my family calls me 'Pein'," he stated.

"I'm Yahiko and this is Konan-chan. We're going to try and create an Origami Club this year and I hope that you'll join us."

"I'm not very good," he warned.

Yahiko laughed, "Neither am I, but it's really fun! Clubs will be ready for new members next week, so I better see you there!"

Pein nodded his head and left the gymnasium.

The rest of the year, Yahiko, Konan and Pein grew very close. They often spent time at each other's houses and hung out after school. Yahiko noticed Pein's behavior towards Konan change as the new year began. As they chowed down on soba noodles, Yahiko took him aside.

"You would tell me if anything was going on, right?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"Yeah, Yahiko-kun. You and Konan-chan are my best friends - I would never lie to you guys," Pein answered.

Their eyes met and Yahiko could see right through Pein's false expression. He sighed heavily and patted his friend on the shoulder. "You need to stop joking around and grow up, Pein-kun," he stated.

"What do you mean?"

"I've noticed how much you stare at Konan-chan - do you like her?"

Pein's face flushed and he backed away nervously. "O-of course not! I would never like her that way!"

Yahiko crossed his arms. "You're not convincing me..."

Pein stomped his foot. "I swear, Yahiko-kun! I -"

Yahiko covered the boy's mouth and smiled warmly. "Pein-kun, if you think that liking her would be betraying me, you're wrong. I like Konan-chan, but not in the way you think I do. I can't help, but notice how much you care for her. Do us both a favor and ask her out tonight when you're alone, okay?"

Pein began to speak, but Yahiko shook his head. "Just do it," he murmured. Pein finally agreed and the two joined Konan just in time to count down the new year together.

"It's really late, guys. Do you want to spend the night here?" Yahiko asked.

"I can't. I have to go with my mom to visit my grandparents tomorrow," Pein replied.

"Okay, then let me walk you guys out." Yahiko pushed the two close together and they squeezed through his door.

Rain poured down from the sky. "Man, what a great way to start off the new year," Yahiko said sarcastically.

Before leaving, Konan and Pein slid through the puddles. "Watch this!" Pein picked up speed and slid across the street striking a ridiculous pose. Konan laughed and imitated the same stunt.

They continued playing in the rain. As Pein ran to perform another stunt, Yahiko caught a car driving at an alarming speed towards them. "Watch out!" he yelled.

The man in the car stomped on his brakes and swerved the wheel. Yahiko caught up to his friends and pushed them out of the car's path. Yahiko collided with the car's bumper and was swept over the windshield. He toppled over the roof and landed on the hard, graveled road.

Pein and Konan moved swiftly to Yahiko's side. He clutched his sides and gasped short breaths of air. His brown eyes bulged from his skull as he tried to breathe. His lungs filled with fluid and his chest felt uncomfortably heavy. He searched for his friends' hands and both immediately gripped his tightly.

They cried as he suffered through the horrendous pain. Being children, they had no thought in their minds. It was as if their brains shut down and all they wanted was to stay by their friend's side.

"Hey, Pein-kun," he gasped.

Pein tightened his grasp on Yahiko's hand and leaned forward. He mumbled incoherent words to Pein and choked out a small laugh. Pein and Konan watched in confusion as he rambled on.

"Please, Yahiko, save your breath. You can talk to us about it after you get better," Konan said soothingly. He continued to breathe in sharply - his chest heaved up and down. He kept his eyes focused on his friends, but he lost sight of their worried looks.

Their eyes darkened as his hands fell limp in their grasp. His eyes glazed over and stared off into a distant world - something that only he could see.

An elderly couple, witnessing the crash, alerted the Konoha police and peeked behind their curtain with morbid curiosity. Pein and Konan collapsed onto their friend and cried over the unforeseen loss of the loud-mouthed, optimistic Yahiko.

They both begged his lifeless body to return their beloved friend. Although their pleas were meaningless, they stayed by his side until the police wrenched them away from his corpse. The police on sight placed a thin sheet over his body and secured the area with barricade tape.

A young man with dark hair kneeled before them with a sympathetic countenance. "I'm terribly sorry you kids had to witness such a dreadful thing. You two staying by his side until his last breath was a very loyal thing to do and I'm sure your friend was truly grateful to have you there for him."

He ushered the two back to their homes and informed their parents of the heartrending incident. Pein's parents asked questions, but he couldn't speak. He pushed them away and raced up to his room. He crawled under his blankets and shivered.

He cried. He cried harder than what he had during Yahiko's last moment. He missed him terribly and waited for this nightmare to end.

But it didn't.

Days turned into weeks and the distance between Konan and Pein increased until they avoided each other completely. Konan graduated from high school the next year and Pein followed the next.

He cut his hair and bleached it a bright orange - just like Yahiko's. Studying teaching in college, he also got piercings and changed his entire appearance to make sure everyone stayed away.

**(End Flashback)**

The students sat quietly in the booth as he finished his story.

"So, your real name is Nagato and you're actual hair color is red?! Why did you do that?" Hidan inquired.

"I guess it's just a phase I was going through," Pein answered.

Sakura pinched his arm and pulled his ear. "How can you be so insensitive, Hidan?!"

Itachi vaguely remembered his father talking about a nasty accident involving a young man named Yahiko. He never knew that Pein was involved.

"Forgive me, sensei, but the most logical reason you altered your appearance was to be like Yahiko. He was your best friend and pulled you and Konan-sensei out from a dark, lonely place. I'm sure that you think you were at fault for his death, but you're wrong."

Sakura watched as Itachi's gaze intensified. "Itachi-"

"His death was an accident, Pein-sensei, stop blaming yourself. Yahiko died over a decade ago, it's time for you to live your own life and find happiness; I'm sure that's what Yahiko wanted for you and Konan-sensei."

Pein stared wide-eyed at the Uchiha. Despite his young age, Itachi's words cut deeply into his soul. He stood abruptly and left without a word exiting his mouth.

"Don't worry, everyone. Disregarding his sensitive personality, Pein-sensei is strong and will overcome this difficult obstacle... Just give him some time."

The students became startled as Pein entered the room again.

"That was short," Hidan stated.

He grabbed Sakura's wrist and yanked her from the booth.

"I need your help, Sakura." He dragged her out of the restaurant leaving the rest of the gang confused.

"Has anyone seen Pein-sensei?" Sakura asked, throwing her backpack on the table.

Sasori pulled out his handheld video game and turned it on. "Nobody has seen him all day," he responded, his eyes glued to the screen.

"What did he need from you anyway?" Kisame asked, lifting his feet and resting them on the table.

"You'll find out," she said nonchalantly.

The door slid open and their jaws dropped. Pein's hair hung over his face and was dyed a deep burgundy. He had a few piercings removed from his face, but kept the two stapled below his bottom lip.

"Pein-sensei?! Nagato-sensei?! What do we call you? And what happened to your face and hair!" Deidara exclaimed.

Pein chuckled, "You can still address me as Pein, guys. Last night, Sakura-chan helped me change back to my original hair color and I removed some of my piercings too."

"I didn't know you would take my advise so literally," Itachi stated.

"Have you talked to Konan-sensei?" Sakura bugged.

Pein blushed and turned his head away from her sight. "Why must you torment me?"

She stepped only inches away from his face. "Pein-sensei, go ask her out or I will pester you about it for the rest of your life!"

Hidan leaned over to Kakuzu. "I think the only reason she's acting so pushy is because she doesn't want to find out what Itachi has planned if she fails at getting them together," he whispered. Kakuzu grunted in agreement.

Sakura twirled him around and pushed him out the door. The boys trailed after her and scanned the area for the blue-haired beauty. Itachi spotted her and each member helped drag their advisor to her feet.

"Pein-sensei wanted to ask you something," Sakura said cheerfully. The teenagers ran inside the school and scoped the scene taking place.

He mouthed a few words and gestured towards himself. Konan laughed and replied with something catchy as well.

"What are they saying? Can anyone read lips?" Sakura watched in a desperate attempt to try and follow what they were saying.

Konan handed him an object and waved goodbye. She walked back into the school and hurried up the stairs. The students circled around him and waited for an explanation of the event.

"We talked a little and when I asked her out..." he paused, holding up the paper crane she had handed him, "she said 'no'."

Sakura blinked. "She said **what?!**"

"She said 'no' and walked away," Pein repeated.

Itachi crossed his arms. "It seems that our time trying to help Pein-sensei was wasted," the Uchiha affirmed. His icy stare froze Sakura in place - her fear rose as he walked toward her.

He picked her up and hung the poor girl over his shoulder, motioning the other members to follow him back to the meeting room.

Pein stayed behind and rubbed his fingers against the smooth creasing of the paper. He noticed Konan had forgotten to pull the wings of the crane into a flying position. He fiddled with the origami, but his eyes caught a glimpse of writing on the inside of the paper. He unfolded the project and began to read a letter Konan written.

_"I've wanted to ask you out for a long time, Pein, but I never had the courage to do so when we were young. On the day Yahiko died, he talked to me in the hallway and stated that he knew of the feelings I had for you and wanted me to ask you out when we were alone. I protested to his demands, but he persuaded me enough to accept._

_I'm sorry that I left you alone for so long - it's not fun to be lonely._

_When I came back to the school for a job interview, my heart leaped for joy when I had heard your name during a faculty meeting, but your appearance startled me. You looked so similar to Yahiko that I had to make sure I wasn't dreaming! Although I knew your intentions were good, I felt sad that you gave up your own life to live out Yahiko's. I rejected you many times due to the obvious fact of wanting the real Pein instead of Yahiko's clone._

_Today, I noticed your red hair and for the first time recognized you as your old self. I'm saying 'no' to your next request as a date, but I left my number on the bottom of the page. Call me when you can, okay?_

_P.S. - I knew that I didn't fold down the wings, don't think you're a better than me!_

_P.S.S. - I really love your red hair."_

Pein stuffed the note in his pocket and smiled. He heard Sakura's screams of protest and sighed, "I guess I better go explain to them and save Sakura from wearing that embarrassing outfit Itachi talked about."

He lumbered toward the school, but suddenly turned back on his heels. "Or not," he snickered.


	4. Golden Week Part I

Sakura sat in the club's room with an irritated expression. Due to her failure of bringing Pein and Konan together, she was forced to dress in an oversized, bunny costume the drama club let Itachi borrow.

"This is so humiliating," she muttered.

"It's your fault for being so cocky," Itachi replied.

Hidan sat back in his chair. "That suit swallows her up! You should have atleast made her wear a sexy bunny costume instead! There's no fun in it if she just looks cute," he said disappointed.

Itachi ignored Hidan's complaint and started the club's first, and only, agenda. "As you know from today's announcements, Golden Week is coming up and I have devised an organized list of activities we can do with the time off."

The floppy ears on the costume bounced as Sakura jumped back in surprise. "But we won't have free time! Midterms are the day after break and we have to study!"

Kisame walked by and flipped one of the ears behind her head. "The members of the Student Council, excluding Hidan, barely need time to study for any kind of test. We maintain our high grades without much work. Itachi-kun has never studied for any tests, but still has the highest score in our class."

She closed her eyes and cursed under her breath at their intelligence. "That's great, but I really should take this time seriously and study."

"Come on, Bunny Sakura-chan! What's one day without studying going to do to you?" Deidara patted her head.

Hidan joined in and wrapped his arms tightly across her shoulders. "It'll be fun! Don't be such a nerd, Rabbit Sakura-chan!"

Sakura growled, "How am I the nerd when you all are smart enough to not have to study?!"

Itachi rose from his chair and joined the others. "We can do whatever you want, Rabbit-Eared Sakura-san," he coaxed.

Sakura slapped the three away and could feel the back of her neck burn with humiliation. "Fine! Fine! Just stop with the annoying names!"

"What will we be doing?" Itachi asked.

Sakura thought for a moment and grinned fiendishly. "Well, what I've been really wanting to do is go shopping. I also heard a new diner is having a grand opening sale this Friday - we can do both that day of the break."

"Alright, sounds fun," Itachi replied.

The bunny girl stomped her foot and gritted her teeth. "You aren't supposed to like shopping! You should be griping and groaning!"

Sasori rolled his eyes. "Just because we're boys doesn't mean we have to adhere to gender-based stereotypes, Sakura-san. You should be ashamed of yourself for acting so sexist."

She pulled on the bunny ears and shouted, "You guys are such pests! If you want to go so bad then meet me at the front gate of the school on Friday! Right now, I'm going home to start studying!" She escaped from the hot hell the costume created and stormed out.

"I still think she would look super hot in a playboy bunny costume," Hidan commented.

The group met in the afternoon sun and took the bus transit to the mall. Hidan dragged Sakura to the lingerie department, but she quietly slipped away as he stared, trance-like, at a mannequin wearing a very revealing outfit.

She tried searching for the other members, but with no luck. A small jewelry store caught her eye and she happily skipped over to the door. An elderly woman greeted her and sat patiently at the counter. Sakura marveled at the beautiful, hand-made jewelry around the store.

"You're here too?" A shaggy, mess of red hair popped out from behind one of the displays.

"Yeah, I love looking at hand-made stuff. It's really cool how they take their time doing this - don't you think?" She narrowed her eyes at him as he ignored her question and silently viewed the necklaces hanging from a wooden mannequin.

"Sasori-kun, you don't talk very much," she grumbled.

His heavy-lidded, brown eyes stared in her direction. "I only talk when I feel like it. It has nothing to do with you," he stated.

"But I'd like to get to know you better. You seem really nice."

Sasori jammed his hands in his pockets. He picked up a bracelet from the display case next to her and turned it over in his hands. "They really took the time carving the details into these beads," he mumbled. He stepped towards her and pointed out the small, tribal markings on the dyed wood.

She brushed her finger against it, feeling the indentations in the bead. He pulled it over his wrist and admired it. "I think I'm going to buy it. Since their hand-made, they're all unique and I'll have a one-of-a-kind bracelet all my life," he said pleased.

They walked to the counter and Sakura gasped. A pair of studded earrings sat in a small display case.

"What's up?" Sasori never understood why women ogled over jewelry - if he liked it, he bought it.

The elderly woman opened the case and presented them to the girl. "Oh! These are aquamarine gemstones right?" Sakura asked.

The elderly woman nodded and Sakura shrieked with joy. She picked up the earrings and pointed excitedly at the bluish-green gemstone that was fixed in the stud.

"This is my birthstone! Every jewelry store I've looked around has never had any in stock!" she beamed.

Sasori smiled, "It's a beautiful stone. It's funny how the color of the gem is very similar to the color of your eyes." He covered his mouth and became flustered.

This is why he didn't open his mouth.

Sakura cocked her head. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"N-nothing, Sakura-chan, let me buy them for you." He placed the bracelet and the earrings on the counter and silently thanked the heavens for her terrible hearing.

Sasori and Sakura met with the rest of the group afterwards. They exited the mall and walked next door to the new diner.

A waitress led them to a large table and handed each of them a menu.

"So what did you guys do in the mall?" Sakura asked.

"Itachi and I wandered around aimlessly. We visited a few stores, but there wasn't much to see," Kisame answered.

"I sat near the fountain, it wasn't that great to me either," Deidara added.

"Kakuzu and I didn't want to spend our money, but it was fun bothering people!" Hidan laughed.

Sakura snapped her menu shut. "If you guys didn't do anything then why did you agree to go?!"

"Well, we wanted to hang out with you," Itachi said honestly.

Sakura's frowned turned to a smile; she could feel the same burning sensation on her neck again. "_These guys might act like complete idiots at times, but they're super sweet,_" she thought.

The waitress returned and wrote down each order; she snatched up the menus and walked away happily. "For a grand opening, this place seems a bit barren," Deidara observed.

There were a few tables occupied, but many were left unused.

"Some restaurants start out fairly slow. In a few months, I'm sure they'll have a pile of customers," Sasori stated.

"That's true, it is only the start of Golden Week. They were smart to open up shop during the break," Kakuzu noted.

The waitress pulled a trolley that held their delicious meals and handed each plate to them. Kakuzu looked down at his food and frowned.

"Is everything to your liking?" she asked, cheerfully.

Kakuzu pointed down to his food. "Actually, I-"

She left before he could continue speaking. He slammed his fists on the table, causing Sakura to flinch - she had never seen him upset before.

"What's wrong with your damn food?" Hidan questioned. Kakuzu shook his head and pushed the plate away.

"They gave me a pile of desserts! How the hell do you confuse a simple Kare Udon with Kurikinton?" he yelled angrily.

Sakura scooted her chair closer to Kakuzu and smiled. "If you'd like, Kakuzu, we can share a plate together. I don't know if you like Hiyashi Chuka, but if you do-"

"The stupid waitress didn't give me anything to eat with," he interjected.

Sakura laughed, "So? Have you ever heard of sharing chopsticks?"

She picked up a chilled noodle between her chopsticks and fed it to a red Kakuzu.

The other boys felt a sudden pang of jealousy as they glanced seldomly up at the two eating together.

_Lucky bastard._

Aft_er _their day of shopping and eating, the club members walked Sakura back to her house. "Thanks for the fun day, guys. I'll see you after break, okay?" She waved goodbye and entered her house.

Mebuki knocked on Sakura's door early in the morning. "Sakura, you have a phone call," she said through the door.

Sakura crawled out of bed and grabbed the phone from her mother's hand.

"Hello?" she mumbled sleepily.

"Sakura-san, this is Itachi. There's an emergency and we need you to come down to the park immediately."

Her stomach twisted in knots. "What happened? Is everyone alright?"

"I can't explain now, but you need to hurry." He hung up.

Sakura swiftly slipped her clothes on and brushed her teeth. She prayed that it wasn't too serious and pulled a light jacket over her torso.

When she arrived, she found the boys standing at a small, basketball court. She raced over and pulled Itachi around.

"What's wrong?" she asked distraught.

He grabbed her shoulders and squeezed them tightly. "I'm glad you're here Sakura. Now all we need you to do is join us in a game of basketball," he said in a serious tone.

She couldn't believe how stupid they were. She smacked his hands away and growled ferociously, "You lied!"

"No, I didn't. I said it was an emergency, but I didn't tell you what it was about."

"What's the point of me being here?!"

Itachi picked up the basketball and pointed. "To play basketball?"

Sakura stood in shock of his sheer stupidity. "But you already have six players! If I joined in, it would be uneven!"

"Then be the referee," he ordered. He guided Sakura to the bench and demanded her to watch the game.

The girl sighed and pulled a stack of index cards from her pocket. She thought proudly how cunning she was to bring her vocabulary words to study, just in case.

The boys separated into teams of three and started the game. Sasori dribbled the ball and passed it to Deidara. The blonde dribbled around Hidan and tossed the ball in the hoop. Sasori, Deidara and Kakuzu exchanged high fives and readied themselves for the next set. Itachi threw the ball to Hidan, but it was stolen by Kakuzu. Hidan tried his best to block Kakuzu's shot, but his tall stature made it impossible. Kakuzu dunked the ball and laughed as Hidan cursed loudly.

They set the ball again and Hidan quickly shot the ball in a hasty manner. Sasori blocked the throw and the ball went flying in Sakura's direction. Itachi raced after it, but tripped over a broken-off piece of pavement. He tried his best to maintain his balance, but the Uchiha crashed into Sakura causing both to fall backwards.

"Oh, shit!" Hidan yelled, following the others.

Itachi's face felt hot. Sakura had cushioned his fall and the young man was laying on top of her - his hands accidentally cupping both of her breasts.

Itachi retreated with an intense blush on his face. "Sakura, I'm really sorry."

He reached his hand out, but Sakura stood up on her own. He tries to reason with her, but she pushed him back towards the group.

"Pervert!" she screamed.

"What! No, I'm not a pervert! It was an accident," he pleaded. She covered her chest and picked up her index cards.

"I've got to go! I just remembered it's my turn to do laundry." She hurried away and left Itachi with the group of envious boys.

Hidan walked over to Itachi and whispered, "Were they soft?"

Itachi pushed him away, his blush deepening. "Shut up, Hidan!"

Hidan chuckled and picked up the basketball. "Oh well, she wasn't paying atttention anyway - let's keep playing!"

Itachi turned away. "I don't know if I want to keep playing."

Sasori tilted his head. "It seems 'The Groper' is too scared to continue."

Deidara joined in and deepened his voice, "Will 'The Groper' find his last ounce of dignity in time to defeat his friends in basketball? Stay tuned!"

Itachi waved his hands frantically and scowled, "Stop calling me that! And what's with the movie announcer voice?!"

Sakura stayed inside and continued studying. She looked at the clock and sighed, "I only have two days left to study and those morons keep distracting me."

She picked up her World Literature textbook and took a solemn oath, "I vow that tomorrow it will be endless studying all day!"


	5. Golden Week Pt II

Sakura awoke to the sound of chattering from downstairs. She rose from her bed and walked down the stairs. "Mom, can you turn down the tv? It's really loud," she complained.

Mebuki met her daughter at the end of stairs and furrowed her brow in confusion. "The tv isn't on, Sakura," she answered. Sakura peeped over the stairs and screamed in horror as the Student Council members sat politely at her table.

She stomped over and screamed again, "What the hell are you doing in my house?!"

Itachi sipped his cup of tea. "We walked over here and your mother invited us in."

"We've been here for over an hour," Deidara added.

Kisame glanced at her cherry-themed pajamas and laughed, "Nice pajamas."

Hidan looked across the table and grinned, "I like them! I'm going to start calling you Cherry-chan!"

She slapped her hand to her forehead and let out an exasperated sigh, "You guys are really pissing me off! I need to study, so you need to leave!"

"But we were invited in. You should be more courteous to your house guests," Sasori scolded.

Sakura gave up and sat in the corner of the room, reading over a few pieces Kakashi-sensei assured that were going to be on the test.

Mebuki placed another tray of drinks on the table and smiled as they thanked her. "It's so sweet that you all wanted to visit my little Sakura! I didn't know she was a member of the Student Council. Do you know how her grades are doing?"

Itachi picked up the second glass and set it down on the coaster. "She has excellent marks in Literature and History, but she is slacking in math."

Sakura shut the book and placed it in her lap, "How do you know that?!"

He placed his empty glass on the tray and faced her. "As president, I need to make sure all the members of the Student Council are excellent, well-rounded individuals. They need to act as role-models for the younger students."

Mebuki smiled approvingly. "Such a responsible, young man!" she boasted.

Sasori agreed, "Yes, he's known for his many nicknames as well: President Uchiha, Ladies' Man Itachi and The Gro-"

"You know I am starving! Do you possibly have anything to eat?" Itachi interrupted, the heat returning to his face.

Mebuki stroked her chin, thinking of what she could cook easily for the handsome boys sitting in front of her. "We usually have something relatively easy to make in the morning. I can go cook up some miso soup - I'll be back in a flash!"

Sakura continued studying as the boys slurped down the warm soup. After they finished, Mebuki collected all the dishes on the tray and presented them to Sakura.

"Honey, I have to go run some errands, can you do the dishes?" Mebuki didn't wait for an answer and handed her the dirty dishes. Sakura groaned and walked to the kitchen carefully. The boys continued talking about school and home life while she turned the faucet and filled the sink with water.

"One of us should help Sakura do the dishes," Deidara whispered.

"Why? It's her house," Sasori muttered.

None of the five boys volunteered, so Deidara rose from the table. Sakura continued washing dishes and was pleasantly surprised to find Deidara rinsing the sudsy dishes and stacking them in the drainboard.

"Thanks," she beamed.

Deidara smiled back, "It's no problem. I hate doing dishes, but I hate doing them by myself even more."

Sakura nodded and placed the silverware in the warm dishwater. She let out a small yelp and brought her hand to her chest. Deidara dropped the bowl he was rinsing and turned to Sakura.

"Are you okay?" he asked concerned.

Sakura clenched her index finger tightly. "Yeah, I just accidentally cut myself on one of the knives in the sink."

Deidara pulled her hand away and examined the cut on the tip of her finger. The lack of pressure on the wound caused blood to leak out and run down her finger. "Do you have any bandages?" he asked.

She nodded her head and pointed to a small drawer across the kitchen. "You're so clumsy," he remarked, walking to the drawer and rummaging through it until he pulled out a small box of Band-aids. He cleaned the cut carefully and wrapped the bandage around her finger.

"Is it too tight?"

Sakura wiggled her finger, "No, it's perfect."

The boys peeked over the corner. "How about I take over washing while you rinse - I don't want your cut to get infected," he offered.

Sakura hung her arms around his neck and smiled gratefully. "Wow, that's so nice, thanks!"

He shot his middle finger up at the group and smirked.

"He was the first to hug Sakura-san," Itachi uttered.

"What the fuck, Itachi? You touched her boobs!" Hidan spat. The silver-haired boy crawled back over to the table and bowed his head shamefully.

"Cherry-chan and I haven't even had one moment together!" he whined.

Kakuzu slapped the back of his head. "Stop crying about it. She's a member of the club, not a dating service," he chided.

"I never said I wanted to date her! She's just a friend!" Hidan argued. Kakuzu shook his head, knowing Hidan well enough to tell his dishonesty.

Sakura entered the livingroom and sat down on the couch. She played with a loose strand of her hair as the boys sat quietly at the table.

"I'm sorry that I'm not a good host," she said nervously.

"Just think of stuff you normally do around here when you're by yourself," Itachi responded.

Sakura stroked her chin, a habit she inherited from her mother, and thought of the things she does alone. "I can't really think of anything... What do you guys do when you're alone?"

Sakura blushed as their awkward silence answered her question. She quickly brought up a different topic, "I can go look for some games?"

"Yes, a game would be great!" they all yelled together. As she headed up the stairs, the boys sighed.

"Hanging out with a girl is really hard. You have to think before you speak or else you'll suffer some major consequences," Deidara exclaimed. They all agreed firmly and waited patiently for her to return.

She walked down the stairs empty-handed. "There aren't any games. Do you guys have anything you want to do?"

"We can go watch a movie," Sasori suggested.

"That sounds like a fucking good idea!" Hidan agreed. Sakura pulled her arms through her jacket and slipped on her sneakers

"Let's go!"

Hidan cheered and walked happily beside her. "_It's my turn_," he thought proudly.

When they reached the movie theater, the only movies playing were centered around romance.

"I don't want to watch a stupid romance movie," Sasori protested.

"I'm sure it won't be that bad," Deidara said, paying for his ticket. Deidara dragged Sasori to the counter and ordered the ticket for the reluctant redhead.

Kisame turned to Itachi. "I can't believe we're all doing this," he said.

Itachi tucked a strand of his dark hair behind his ear, "Me either - I don't know why we feel the need to make her happy."

Hidan bought Sakura a bucket of popcorn and escorted her into the dark theater. She took a seat in the back of the theater and Hidan joined her. "I like sitting in the back too," he laughed.

The other boys clearly shifted moods and watched Hidan's moves carefully. Sakura and Hidan continued their conversation until the screen lit up brightly. The beginning was like many normal, cliche romance movies - the girl starts out with a terrible break-up and then meets the new guy. Sakura drove her hand into the popcorn and munched quietly.

Hidan tried pulling the yawn-and-stretch move, but Itachi quickly grabbed his arm. "I'm sorry, Sakura, but can i have a bit of popcorn?" He leaned over his seat and stretched out his hand.

"Sure," Sakura held the bucket to Itachi and pulled it back when he grabbed a handful.

Hidan growled at his rudeness.

He turned to Sakura and asked for some popcorn also. She handed him the bucket and grabbed a few pieces. He set it down in her lap and brushed his fingers against her thigh.

"Hidan!" she shouted, ready to punch him.

She punched him in the arm and stopped each approach he attempted during the rest of the movie.

"Fine, I'll actually watch the movie!" he huffed childishly. He slumped in his chair and watched the duration of the movie.

At the end, the woman was struck with a sudden illness and passed away in a matter of months. Sakura's eyes watered at the tragic ending and her small nose sniffled. She felt extremely embarrassed because she knew that her friends were most likely asleep or could care less about the story. She heard Hidan's strangled breaths and was unexpectedly surprised to see tears running down his face.

He quickly wiped the tears away with his sleeve and sniffed. The credits rolled down the screen and the group left to walk the streets.

"Sakura-chan, were you crying?" Kisame asked, noticing her red, puffy eyes.

"Yeah, I wasn't expecting the ending at all!"

"It seems Hidan wasn't either," Deidara snickered.

Hidan grabbed the scruff of his shirt and bared his teeth. "Shut up, idiot!" he snarled.

"I can't believe Mr. Tough Guy cried over such a ridiculous movie," Kakuzu smirked.

"Shut your goddamn mouth!" Hidan yelled.

Sakura walked over to him and held his hands in her own. "I think it's really cool how you express your feelings openly, Hidan-kun. It's also super sweet how you're not afraid to be yourself around others," she praised.

The others cocked an eyebrow. _You have go to be fucking kidding me._

His cheeks flushed and grinned happily at her compliment. "Thanks, Cherry-chan! What do you want to do now?"

"I think it's time for me to go hit the books," she laughed.

"Let me walk you home then!" She accepted and the two walked happily back to her house.

"I think we know now who she prefers now," Kisame grunted.

Itachi shook his head and smiled, "No, it's not that. She's just happy to have people in her life that care about her. She's oblivious to any, if not all, romantic advances at the moment. Right now, all she wants is friends."

Sakura slept in the next morning without any interruptions. She picked out all her study guides and began practicing algebraic expressions.

"_This is what I wanted to do for Golden Week; I wanted complete isolation and now I have it._"

She walked to her window and viewed the street below. _"If this is what I wanted all week, then why do I feel so sad that they aren't visiting me?_"

Before Hidan left, he had informed her of their plans tomorrow of checking out a few universities and they wouldn't be able to hang out with her. She didn't mind it at first, but it felt incredibly lonely by herself.

She pushed her selfish thoughts out of her mind and began studying. "_I shouldn't act as if I'm the center of their world. God, I would be so annoying if I was like that!_"

It was her last day of Golden Week and she finally felt confident enough with her test practice. Kakashi-sensei's class would be fairly easy and she also was proud of her correct answers on the math sheets.

She lazied around the house doing nothing all day. Her parents were off running errands and visiting friends, so she sprawled onto the couch and rested her eyes. A light knock on the door caused her to jump.

"Yes?" Sakura searched for a person, but nobody stood in front of her. She began to close the door when a small envelope on her steps caught her eye. She picked it up and tore it open.

Her stomach did somersaults as she read the note silently to herself:

"_You think you're so cute, don't you? I'll have you know that you're just a smug bitch and everyone hates you. If you even __**dare **__think that being a member of the Student Council is something to be proud of - you're dead wrong! I swear you are the most worthless human being on this Earth and I can't wrap my head around the fact that they __**still **__hang out with you! You're pathetic and a burden to everyone. Just give up, nobody wants you. _

_If you tell anyone about this letter, I will make your life a living __**hell**__._"

She immediately crumpled up the letter and threw it in the trash. Her heart pounded in her chest. What the hell did she do to cause someone to write such terrible things?


	6. Mystery Solved?

Sakura walked to school, her gait slow. She had no idea what was going on, but she definitely didn't like it.

She never thought anyone would do such a terrible thing and threaten her - it was only her first year!

She was glad Itachi hadn't met with her, but was also wishing he had - just to be safe.

The walk to school was normal, but she had an odd feeling that a pair of eyes were on her the entire time. She entered her classroom and sat at her desk.

"_That freak can't bother me in here_," she thought.

She opened her desk to store her supplies and stared wide-eyed at the small, white envelope placed neatly inside. She hesitated, but opened it and read to herself:

"_Every time I see your face, I get __**really**__ pissed off. Why did they pick you of all people for Student Council? I'm just as good, if not better! Fuck that, I am better than you! I hope you fail all of your exams and have to be held back; that way, they would know you're a complete idiot and vote you out. _

_Your pink hair is stupid and I bet it's not even real. I take extreme joy when I see you squirm under hardships. Oh, and you should walk faster to school next time - people are waiting for you. And, since your brain is so small, you probably didn't understand that the last statement was completely false and I was being sarcastic._

_P.S. - Remember, if you tell anyone, your entire life will __**go to shit**__."_

Her throat tightened as she choked back tears. It would embarrass her to no end if her classmates saw her crying; she also didn't want to give this person the pleasure of seeing her truly frightened and upset.

During exams, she could barely keep her focus on the questions. When the lunch bell rang, Sakura grabbed the note and walked to the restroom. Ino tried to get Sakura's attention, but Sakura wasn't up for talking about meaningless gossip.

As she crossed the hallway, she caught eyes with Itachi. She raced inside the girls' restroom before he could finish his conversation with another student and hid in the farthest stall.

She sat on the toilet and let out all the stress she was holding inside. She cried silently in the stall, wondering how worse it could get. The door pushed open and a girl walked in the bathroom and knocked on her stall.

"Sakura?"

Sakura swallowed back her tears and controlled her breathing. "Yes?" she said calmly.

The girl shuffled around. "Itachi-kun wants to speak with you," she said, a hint of jealousy in her voice.

Sakura dabbed her eyes with toilet paper and shambled out of the stall. She thanked the girl and walked out to meet Itachi, leaning against wall next to the door.

"What is it?"

"Are you upset with me?" he said, curious.

She blinked, "What?"

"I'm sorry that I didn't walk with you this morning, but there's no reason for you to ignore me," he said bluntly.

"But I'm not mad at you," she argued.

He pulled her beside him and the two walked the halls. "Then whats going on? You looked upset."

Sakura wanted to tell him, but was too afraid of the threats. She faked a smile, "No, I'm just exhausted from taking the exams; they're so difficult."

Itachi knew better, but decided to end the discussion. He patted her on the head and watched, in surprise, as she pushed his hand away.

"I'm sorry, but I've got to try to study for my exams. It's really important," she mumbled.

She walked away back to her classroom without another glance back at him. His dark eyes glittered with confusion, but a large smack on his back snapped him out of his thoughts.

"What's the matter?" Kisame asked. He caught a glimpse of pink hair disappear into a classroom.

"I'm not sure what's going on, but something's bothering her." Kisame took his hand from Itachi's shoulder and picked up a small piece of notebook paper on the floor.

"Hn?" He read over it and elbowed Itachi in the ribs. He handed the note to Itachi, waiting for his response.

Kisame was taken by surprised at the amount of anger emanating from Itachi's expression. The piece of paper crumpled in Itachi's hand and the senior stared angrily at his friend. "Make sure to tell the guys we'll be doing something different tonight for Student Council."

The final bell rang and Sakura made her way to the Student Council room. She slid the door open and heard them continuing a conversation.

"The math exam was the hardest! Why do they have to make everything so damn difficult?" Hidan complained.

"I thought the math was easy," Kakuzu objected.

Hidan crossed his arms behind his head and scowled, "Yeah, but you're the treasurer - you're supposed to be great at math!"

"Or maybe you're just an idiot and you're making excuses for yourself," Itachi said, motioning Sakura to sit down.

They all took their seats and waited for Itachi to begin. "Today's agenda of tracking each of the club's funds is cancelled. Right now, we have more important things to speak of."

"Like?" Sakura asked, confused.

Kisame handed him the note and held it in front of her face. "What's the meaning of this?" he asked, sternly.

Sakura's eyes almost popped out of her head. She fingered her pockets, but came up with nothing - _damn_. She could feel six pairs of eyes on her, but couldn't find the courage to look at any of them.

"It's not mine," she mumbled.

Itachi scoffed, "Really? Because I don't see many other girls around here with pink hair like yours." He was trying his best to retain his calm guise.

She played with a loose string from her skirt and ignored his comment. His hand slammed down on the table, startling everyone in the room. "Do you think this is funny? How long has this been going on, Sakura-san?"

"It's just been a day. Stop acting like I've been hiding it for over a month, senpai," she sassed.

Itachi shook his head, "Sakura-san, you shouldn't hide this stuff from us. We're your friends and we care about you very much. What if this person could have escalated these threats and actually tried attacking you?"

He crumpled the piece of paper in a small ball and threw it into the wastebasket. Sakura felt absolutely embarrassed. She wanted to crawl into a giant shell and hide back of her neck was burning again and she shifted in her seat.

"I say we find out who's doing this shit and beat the fuck out of them!" Hidan snarled, lifting his fist.

Deidara disagreed, "No, we can't do that, but confronting this person would be our best bet. Six against one would cause him or her to scurry away without another thought."

"First we have to find out who is making the threats," Kakuzu stated.

"This person is incredibly jealous of Sakura-san's membership in the Student Council. It also apparent that he or she, knows her fairly well, since they knew her name and desk in her class-" Itachi halted his speech and his eyes sprung open wide.

"Itachi?" Kisame called out.

The president picked up his bag and swung it over his shoulders. "Everybody follow me to my house!"

Sakura, confused and worried, grabbed her backpack and followed after him.

Itachi's home was absolutely beautiful. It was a traditional, japanese home with red tiles covering the roof and a small garden near the porch with small sprouts budding. It was decorated with colorful beams of wood around the porch and a stone walkway leading to the home. He slid the door open and invited his friends in.

A young woman, resembling Sasuke greatly, walked into the livingroom and waved at the group. "Itachi, I didn't know you would be home so early I don't even have dinner started," she declared.

"It's okay, Mom. Do you know where Sasuke is?"

She pointed to a small corridor. "He's in his room, but he's working on something so make it quick, okay?"

Itachi nodded and signaled them to follow down the hallway. Itachi's mother stared wildly at Sakura and grabbed her wrist and pulled her close.

"Oh my goodness! You're so cute! I love your pink hair - is it natural? What grade are you in? Are you a member of Student Council like our dear Itachi? How old are you? What part of the city are you from?" she squealed, asking an endless amounts of questions to the poor girl.

"Mikoto, please, you're embarrassing her," a husky voice called from the kitchen. Mikoto turned to the voice and frowned.

"Oh, Fugaku, I was just having fun," she said, agitated. An older man walked from the kitchen and leaned against the wall. He wore a light-green yukata and frowned at his wife.

"Having fun doesn't mean interrogating our son's friend." He walked to Sakura and held out his hand. "I'm Fugaku, Itachi and Sasuke's father. This is my wife, Mikoto." Sakura shook his hand and smiled happily.

"It's really nice to meet you." Her arm was grabbed again and pulled into the hallway by Sasuke's door.

Itachi pushed the door open and walked to his younger brother sitting at the desk. Sasuke continued working on his project without peeking up at his brother.

"What do you want?"

Itachi stood by the corner of his bed and crossed his arms over his chest. "What have you been up to lately?"

Sasuke turned his attention to his brother and narrowed his eyes in confusion. "What do you mean? I've been doing _this_." He gestured toward his project and turned back to see the group waiting at his door.

"Have you been threatening Sakura-san?" Itachi questioned.

Sasuke laughed dryly, "Why would I?"

"You've been dying to be on Student Council since sixth grade, Sasuke. She's received two notes already and one was in her desk at school - don't you share the same homeroom?"

Sakura suddenly felt guilty. She remembered Ino stating that Sasuke was trying to get a seat on the Student Council the first week of school, but had long forgotten since then. Although they needed a female, she couldn't shake off the pity she had for him.

"I don't know what you're talking about with 'notes'. I've been busy preparing for the Kendo Club," Sasuke muttered.

"I'm not stupid, Sasuke. I know you're hiding something," Itachi argued.

They continued back and forth until Itachi's badgering was too much. "Fine! Some weird guy came into our classroom before the first bell and asked me which desk was Sakura's. I pointed to it, he placed an envelope in it, and left," he shouted.

"What did he look like?"

"He was wearing a mask. It was really crappy, so it was most likely made in the Art Club," Sasuke answered.

"The Art Club? I didn't even know they had that going on still," Deidara thought aloud.

Itachi joined the group at the door, "Let's hurry back to the school and see if we can find anymore out about this."

The group agreed and headed out the door. Sakura looked back at Sasuke. His dark eyes showing deep anger and glared directly at his brother.

"_I wonder why he's not staring angrily at me?_"

They stepped into the school and asked a few students where the Art Club was located. The girls directed them to the end of a small hallway near the second-year students' classrooms and left them at a closed door.

Itachi slid the door open and tapped a boy on his shoulder.

"Wow, visitors, huh? What do you need?" he asked, a welcoming smile plastered on his face.

"We were wondering if a student borrowed a mask from here recently."

The boy stood, deep in thought, and pointed to a row of a masks. "The first-years made these last week, but a kid did come in here earlier today asking for a mask," he explained, combing his hair through his short, black hair.

"Do you know who it was?" Itachi leaned forward.

"He acted a bit off, but he never said his name. He was really hyperactive and bounced around the place like a little kid."

The boys groaned and exchanged disgruntled expressions. Sakura turned to each of them and frowned, "What is it? Do you know who it is?"

"How could we not? He's been begging for a spot in the club since our first year of high school," Sasori sighed.

"Who is it? What's his name?" she asked, heatedly.

Itachi rubbed his temples in frustration and stared down at the pink-haired freshman. "His name is 'Tobi' and he's the strangest student in our entire class."

* * *

**A/N:**

**Oh gosh! Is it Tobi? Or is it someone else that's causing Sakura a mess of problems?! I guess you'll have to read the next chapter! :P**

**By the way, that member of the Art Club Itachi was interrogating? Yeah, seem familiar? Well, it should because it was Sai! :P Too bad I couldn't fit a penis joke in there, but oh well, maybe next time!**


	7. The Wannabes

"Well, let's go find Tobi and kick him where the sun don't shine!" Hidan cheered.

Itachi turned his attention back to the boy. "Did he say anything after borrowing the mask?"

"I remember him talking some nonsense about being an awesome Student Council president, but that's really all he said," he answered.

They huddled in a group and began discussing their plan. "Tobi is really dedicated to the Student Council, so we won't find him in any of the clubs around school. I'm not sure what he does in his free time because I just can't stand to be around the kid for more than a few minutes," Itachi explained.

"From what I know of him, he is in class 3 - C and he hides his face with his long, black hair and with the collar of his button-up shirt. He doesn't stick out much from the back, but when you're facing him, all you can see is his creepy smile," Deidara added.

"Did he say anything about returning the mask at a specific time?" Kisame asked.

The boy shook his head, "No, I told him to bring it back when he was done with it. What's this about anyway?"

"He's harrassing one of our members," Sasori stated.

"Sexually?" he asked, a smile on his face.

"No!" Deidara shouted.

The boy shrugged and turned back to his painting - he wasn't interested in the drama anymore.

"We'll spread out around the school. I'll go by myself around the back entrance near the track and weight-lifting room. Sakura-san and Kisame-kun, you two will go around the west wing near the freshman classrooms. Hidan and Kakuzu-kun, go to the east wing and look around the junior classrooms and the gymnasium. Sasori-san and Deidara-san, look around the front entrance and check around in the upstair senior classrooms. When we're done searching, we'll meet back here in the Art Club, okay?"

Each group nodded and the boy sighed. "_Why do all the weird people come visit the Art Club?_"

Hidan and Kakuzu scouted the freshman hallways and searched each restroom for the annoying boy. "Hey, Kakuzu."

"Hm," Kakuzu grunted.

"Why do you think Itachi is going to all this trouble? I mean, I know that Tobi's threats to Cherry-chan are really shitty, but I'm sure he wouldn't have overreacted as much if it were someone else."

Kakuzu wasn't sure what to say. He glanced down at the silver-haired boy and became amused by the combination of jealousy and hurt upon his face.

Hidan broke the silence with a firm, low voice, "He's changed a lot since last year... He couldn't even speak to his brother, but today, even if it was through anger, he talked to him. Last year, he was a total dick to everyone."

He turned to Kakuzu. "I think he really likes Cherry-chan," he stated darkly.

Kakuzu slapped the back of his head and frowned, "Stop bitching about meager assumptions, Hidan-kun. Let's focus on finding Tobi and kicking his ass afterwards."

Hidan's face brightened up and he threw his fist in the air dramatically. "Yeah! Let's kick that freak's ass and make sure he can't sit right for a week!"

The tanned senior sighed. As long as Itachi wasn't brought up, there wouldn't be many conflicts between the council. Hidan had already confessed his dislike for the Uchiha, but Kakuzu's job, for now, was to keep the peace.

They continued down the hall and walked toward the gymnasium.

No Tobi.

"Well, this was a waste. Let's go back to the Art Club and fuck with that kid!" Hidan yelled.

Kakuzu pushed him to the other side of the hallway. "I don't swing that way," he contended.

Hidan stomped his foot on the linoleum floor. "I'm not gay either, you bastard!"

Deidara and Sasori walked silently up the stairs after no sight of Tobi at the front entrance. Deidara's blue eyes darted back and forth to Sasori then to the classrooms. He hated being alone with the redhead; he never spoke and barely listened to anyone.

"I don't think Tobi's behind this," Sasori said unexpectedly, breaking Deidara from his inner rant.

"What? Itachi-kun's little brother even confessed that it was!" the blonde argued.

"Just because Sasuke saw Tobi place the note in her desk doesn't mean he's the mastermind behind it."

Deidara's mind jumbled into a pile of unorganized thoughts. "I don't understand."

Sasori snorted, "On account of your brain having the mental capacity of a four-year-old, I wouldn't expect you to understand - let me explain. Tobi isn't rude or a total asshole to anyone he meets. He acts like a child and would never threaten anyone the way the person has in these letters. However, he is fairly easy to persuade and would most likely follow anyone's orders if they promised him a spot on the Student Council."

"I'm smarter than a four-year-old!" Deidara yelled angrily.

"Out of everything I told you, you say that? God, you're stupid."

Deidara growled ferociously at him, but was caught off guard by a shove away back down the stairs and behind the corner leading to the front entrance. He protested, but was instantly hushed by his partner. His eyes widened as they watched Tobi walk through the front entrance and meet with a figure wearing an over-sized hoodie. Their voices echoed through the hallway and Sasori listened carefully.

"Tobi-chan has hid both letters in their places!" he clucked, happily.

The figure laughed lightly and waved his hand. "That's very good, Tobi-kun. We'll continue doing this until Sakura gives up and quits the Student Council. Then, I'll make sure we receive our rightful spots in the club." The figure's voice was male and relatively low compared to most boys at Konoha High.

Tobi jumped with joy. "I can't wait to become President! What should we do now, senpai?"

" '_Senpai'? Tobi's a third-year - who would he be calling 'senpai'?_"Sasori thought.

"We'll walk silently near the front gate and wait for her. Once she passes us, we'll cross through the alleyway and set the next note on her doorstep." His voice deepened as he explained. Tobi bounced up and down and followed the hooded figure out of the school.

Sasori and Deidara faced each other and quickly ran back to the Art Club.

The boy in the Art Club watched as they gathered back in. "Don't you all have your own room?" he asked, slightly irritated by their presence.

"We do, but it's on the other side of the school and we don't feel like walking that much," Itachi admitted.

The boy heaved a heavy sigh and continued painting.

"We found Tobi walking from the main hallway to the front entrance. There was a person he was speaking to that stated he was going to follow Sakura-san home," Sasori informed.

The thought of this unknown person following her home caused Sakura to shiver. Itachi rested his chin in his hand and thought of a simple maneuver of catching the assailant. "Okay, here's what we'll do..."

After elaborating the plan, their group exited the room. Itachi turned to the boy and presented his hand. "Thank you for your services..." he trailed off, ashamed that he didn't know his name.

The boy shook his hand and smiled. "My name is Sai. It's no problem, but just notify me when you plan on using the Art Room as your secret headquarters again," he joked.

Itachi nodded and headed through the door.

Sakura walked through the front gate nervously. She clutched the straps of her back pack and bit her bottom lip.

"_They expect me to walk home as normal as possible? Pfft! How can I do that when some stalker is following me entire way?!_"

She changed her direction and treaded past a large, open bridge. There was no possible way for the man to alter his route and reach her home without someone noticing. He kept his distance and made his way stealthily over the bridge. When he reached the middle of the bridge, Itachi, Kisame and Sasori blocked his way. He turned to retreat, but was met with Deidara, Kakuzu and Hidan blocking his only exit.

"Tobi-kun!" he yelled.

Kakuzu lifted the masked student by the back of shirt and threw him next to the hooded figure.

"Who are you?" Itachi's eyes narrowed.

The figure crossed his arms and growled, "What does it matter to you?"

"It matters to us because you're harrassing one of our team members," Kisame shouted.

The group stepped closer, causing the figure to jump.

"What do we do, senpai?" Tobi trembled.

"Either show us who you are and stop messing with Sakura-san or we kick your asses right here!" Deidara yelled loudly.

"Ha! You're bluffing!" he jeered. Tobi and the figure immediately flinched when they raised their fists and took another step.

"Okay! Fine, it's me!" He pulled down his hood, revealing green hair and piercing, yellow eyes.

"You've got to be joking," Sasori said incredulously.

"Zetsu? I thought you transferred schools a year ago," Itachi wondered.

Zetsu cursed loudly and pointed directly at the president. "I did move, but transferred back! When I returned, I was appalled by your betrayal!"

"_Betrayal?_" Sakura thought.

"We didn't betray you, Zetsu. The school board ordered us to recruit a female member and we chose Sakura-san," Itachi explained.

"Tobi already told me that, regardless of my transfer, you would have voted me out of the club anyway!" Zetsu accused.

"Tobi only knows that because he's a snoop and doesn't have a life outside of ours," Kakuzu said bluntly.

Tobi scampered close to Zetsu and whimpered quietly.

"Look, I'm going to say this as simple as possible," Itachi started, "If you ever threaten Sakura-san or even dare to come near her again - we will make sure that you will never step foot in this school again!"

" 'Cause we'll break both of your legs, you freak!" Hidan threatened, cracking his knuckles.

Zetsu laughed scornfully, "Fine, I'll stop threatening her."

"Good," Itachi grunted.

He turned back to Sakura and tousled her hair. "Let's get you home, Sakura-san."

The group left the two wannabes on the bridge. Tobi turned to Zetsu with a worried look hiding underneath his mask, "Senpai?"

"Don't worry about them, Tobi-kun. I may have promised to stop threatening her, but that doesn't mean I won't stop making her life a living hell!" he vowed.

"Why does Tobi call Zetsu 'senpai'?" Sasori asked.

Kisame looked over his shoulder and exhaled loudly, "Personally, I think he's says it because he still believes he's a freshman."

"So why did you practically vote Zetsu out of the club? Was it because of his disturbing behavior?" Sakura asked, curious.

"Zetsu was diagnosed with an extreme case of bipolar disorder earlier in the year when I accepted him as the mascot. Most of the time, he was very cheerful and we enjoyed his company-"

"But we voted him out because we all knew that having a female mascot was much sexier! And also, he was a fucking psycho with mental problems," Hidan finished.

Itachi glared at Hidan and continued, "But we also voted him out because his ideas weren't helping the other students to become involved."

Sakura cocked an eyebrow. "What ideas?"

"He kept wanting the Student Council to center solely around the environment. He nagged us constantly about recycling and during school festivals tried making us wear some embarrassing plant costumes," Sasori explained.

They reached her home and Sakura slid open the door. They waved goodbye, but were halted by a large, beautiful smile on the girl's face. She hugged each one of them tightly and laughed at their confusion.

"I just wanted to say thank you for everything you did today. Although I could have handled it by myself, it made me really happy to know how much you all care for me. I'm so happy I can call you my friends."

* * *

**A/N:**

**Just wanted to say that I actually received some very good advise for this chapter! Thank you, XxDarkSarcasm1010xX for the great ideas!**

**Also, if anyone else has some things they would like to see for this story (within reason) I would be happy to try them out!**

**Oh, and nothing like "Aww DeiSaku please!". I have some stuff planned out for later! ;) Thanks for reading!**


	8. The Middle School Terror

Sakura hurried to her classroom and sat down at her desk. Next time, she'll make sure to check the time when hanging out with the boys. Kakashi-sensei was explaining the popular folktales of early American civilization, but Sakura was distracted by a piece of paper landing on her desk.

She turned to Ino who motioned her to read it. She picked up the paper and began reading:

"_Since you're a member of the Student Council, I need help with something important. Could you possibly give me some time during lunch to speak with the president?"_

Sakura turned to her friend and nodded. Ino mouthed 'Thank you' and the two continued writing the information Kakashi was speaking.

During lunch, Ino leaped onto Sakura. "Thanks so much for this! I really need some help!"

They walked to the Student Council room and Sakura led her through the door. "Hello, Sakura-san," Itachi greeted. He cocked an eyebrow at the bouncy blonde taking a seat next to him.

"Who the fuck is she?" Hidan asked, biting down on a piece of food.

"This is Ino Yamanaka. She needed to talk to you about something, senpai," Sakura addressed, sitting next to Deidara and opening her bento.

"It's nice to meet you, Yamanaka-san. What is it that you need?" he asked.

Ino cupped her face in her hands and leaned forward. "I'm a member of the Sewing/Fashion Club and I need help with fundraising!"

"Fundraising? The school's next Cultural Festival isn't until after summer vacation. Why do you need help now?"

"We need more materials for the club. The clothes and accessories we are making right now are to be ready for the next Cultural Festival to sell, but we don't have enough money in our budget to buy our supplies," she explained.

Itachi pointed to Kakuzu. "It's not my job to explain fundraising and budgets. You'll have to talk to Kakuzu-kun and decide upon something."

Kakuzu stared in her direction with his dark, irritated eyes. Ino stood up, but didn't move. "It's okay, Ino, he's not as mean as he looks," Sakura assured, pushing the blonde into the empty seat next to him.

"If I remember correctly, the Sewing Club's budget is over $9,000 every year. That's quite a large sum, you should have enough money to buy even expensive materials for your club," he grumbled.

"Yes, that's how much we had, but many of our sewing machines were worn out and we had to restock them. They were roughly $500 each and we had to buy seven of them," she answered.

"That still leaves you with $5,500 left," he stated.

Ino shrunk down in her seat. "Well, err, we also used some of the money for a trip to Suna," she confessed.

"A trip to Suna costs over eighty dollars a ticket! Not to mention eighty dollars more the ride back! What else?"

She sunk lower. "We did a lot of stuff and now we're left with only ninety-eight dollars!"

Kakuzu felt his chest tighten at the irresponsible waste of money. "God, how did you guys not notice?! Who is your senpai?"

"We don't have one. We usually decide things on our own since our advisor comes every once in a while." Kakuzu pinched the bridge of his nose and shut his eyes tightly. "We can't do much for you guys except allow your request for fundraising," he grunted.

"But we really don't have time to do fundraising! We are all attending a fashion convention this weekend and are enrolled in cramschool during the school week! We won't have time to raise any money!" Ino looked desperately at Sakura, hoping for an offer from the pinkette.

Sakura shot her hand up and gave Ino a thumbs-up gesture. "We'll help you, Ino-chan!"

"No, we won't," Itachi dead-panned.

Ino crawled over to Itachi on her hands and knees. "Please, senpai! I'm begging on my knees! We are in serious trouble if we don't have anything to show for the Cultural Festival this fall!"

Itachi looked helplessly at his members, but found no backing up on the situation. He turned to Sakura, but sighed when she joined Ino down on her knees.

"I don't know why we have to do it for you, Yamanaka-san. We have things we need to do in our club," he stated.

Sakura raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "What do we need to do?"

Thankfully, for Itachi's sake, the bell rang and they all walked to their homerooms. Sakura grabbed Ino's arm and smiled. "Don't worry about it, Ino-chan. I have an idea that I know they can't refuse."

After the school day, Itachi walked lazily back to the room. Pein-sensei waited near the window.

"Pein-sensei?"

Pein turned to Itachi. "It's about time you joined us, Itachi-kun. Please take a seat, I have something I need to talk to you all about," he said.

Itachi glanced around the table at his friends, but they didn't seem to know what was happening either.

Pein brushed his fingers through his red hair. "Now, can anyone tell me what the Student Council is for?"

Kisame raised his hand. "To help maintain a balanced environment in the school and provide students assistance when necessary."

"Yes that's correct, Kisame-kun." Pein walked over to the door and shut it for privacy. "Sakura-chan asked me to talk to everyone about the current situation the Sewing Club is in and-" A collective group of groans interrupted him.

"That's what this is about? Fine, we'll do what she wants, but please don't continue to scold us, sensei," Sasori said coldly.

Pein sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Okay... then I'll let you all discuss your fundraising ideas together." He slid open the door and walked out.

Sakura joined them moments later with Ino trailing behind. "Sakura-chan, you're too nice sometimes," Kisame grumbled.

Ino jumped happily behind Sakura and hugged her. "Oh, that means that they accepted! Thanks Sakura-chan! I'll be at cramschool, but tell me what happens okay?" Ino hopped away from the room and into the hallway.

She sat down in her seat and pulled out a scribbled piece of notebook paper. "During class, I had this really good idea! This weekend, we'll open up a small bake sale in front of the school to sell cookies and cakes," she explained, reading over the paper.

"I can't do anything this weekend. My family is visiting relatives," Itachi broke in.

"Neither can Hidan and I. We have to make a project on the Heian period for our Japanese History class," Kisame said.

She turned to Deidara, Sasori and Kakuzu. "I have to go shopping with my dad on Saturday, but I'll be able to help on Sunday," Deidara commented.

"Sasori?" Sakura asked, hoping he had nothing planned.

Sasori crossed his arms. "I have a doctor's appointment on Saturday early in the morning then I have to run errands for my grandmother. I could probably make it in the late afternoon, but there's no promises," he said.

Her desperate gaze switched to Kakuzu. He slapped his forehead and sighed, "I'm free both days, Sakura-chan - I can help."

She grasped his hand and shook it. "Oh thank you so much! You're going to be a really big help, Kakuzu-kun!"

"Ehh, no problem."

Itachi quieted the loud chatter and started the next meeting.

The school week ended quickly and Kakuzu waited patiently by the front gate of the school. A pick-up truck halted to a stop and the pinkette jumped from the passenger seat.

"Good morning, Kakuzu! Can you help me get this table out of the back?" She opened the tailgate and climbed inside.

Kakuzu obeyed and carried the table out of the truck and set it on the sidewalk. Sakura lugged a large box from the bed of the truck and handed it to Kakuzu's free hands. She jumped from the truck and slammed the tailgate.

"Thanks a lot, Yamanaka-sama!" She watched as Ino's father drove away from the school and turned a corner back home.

Kakuzu placed the large box on the table and opened it, revealing containers filled with pastries. "Are you sure we'll be able to sell all of these?" he asked.

Sakura walked over and began pulling each container from the box and putting them on the table. "I'm hoping so. Considering how close summer break is - I don't want to spend my time doing things that I can get out of the way now."

They stood silently next to each other while some passerby's stopped to look.

An old man scanned the sweets and pointed to a small piece of cake. "What kind is this?"

"It's daifuku cake with sweet bean paste filling! It's very delicious and since it is homemade, I took extra care to make it!"

The old man nodded, impressed, "Well, it sounds very tasty right now. I'll buy a piece." He handed her the amount of money and she picked it up with her gloved hands.

"Thank you very much, sir! Please tell your friends!"

He waved politely and waddled away.

They sold many desserts at their stand and were almost out when a group of boys stopped by.

"Wow, you're really cute! Whatchya selling there?" the tall, blonde asked, leaning over the table.

Sakura blushed and pointed to the remaining pieces. "This is Suama that I baked last night with the pink color and these two are strawberry-flavored Uiro - each costs ten dollars."

"That's pricey for such small pieces," the tanned boy frowned.

Kakuzu was getting irritated. "Either buy or leave. We don't take window shoppers."

The four boys stared up at Kakuzu. The blonde rubbed his chin, wondering who he was - he snapped his fingers and grinned. "Hey! You're Kakuzu from Taki! Why are you wearing the Konoha symbol on your jacket?"

"Kakuzu-kun goes to high school here," Sakura answered.

The blonde-haired boy frowned. "Oh, so you thought you could run away from your problems by moving to Konoha, huh?"

Kakuzu's green eyes narrowed, "I didn't run away. Now leave before I beat your head against the sidewalk."

The boy held his hands up in defense and waved them around. "Hey, don't get so upset! It's not like it's our fault for the loss against Kumo Middle School during the finals tournament!"

Kakuzu tightened his fists, but kept his cool demeanor. "It's sad that you all still hold onto the past, but it's something to expect from Taki students," he replied.

"Atleast we continued playing after our defeat! Look at you, Kakuzu - selling desserts? I bet you're not even playing basketball anymore because of your _injury_." The boy drew out the last word with a smug look.

Sakura stood nervously as the kids continue razzling the composed senior. "Hey, cutie," he grinned, "how about you come with us? We'll treat you to a good time."

Kakuzu walked from behind the table and cracked his knuckles. "Don't talk to her like that," he grunted.

The boy chuckled, "What? It's not like she's having fun with your ugly mug."

"Kakuzu-kun is a lot of fun to hang out with! Get lost you creeps!" she yelled, startling herself.

The blonde's smile disappeared and he looked back at his friends. The other three nodded their heads and turned their backs to the Konoha students.

"If we see you again, Kakuzu, it won't be on good grounds," he threatened. The group stalked away and Sakura turned to Kakuzu, concerned.

Kakuzu held his hand up before Sakura could speak. "Don't ask, Sakura-chan. It's nothing to worry about," he said.

"I didn't know you lived in Taki," she said - there was so much she didn't know about her friends.

Kakuzu sighed, "Yeah, I moved here after the seventh grade."

She tugged on his sleeve and stared at him with curious eyes. He sighed again and closed the container full of the remaining food. "Okay, I'll tell you after we pack this stuff up."

They sat near the basketball court as a few middle schoolers started a three-on-three game. Sakura took out one of the Uiro in the container and began chowing down as the Treasurer told his story.

"I was a member of Taki's basketball club since the fourth grade. I really loved playing it and was often told how great I was. During middle school, I would always score the most baskets and I even beat the old school record! I would always shoot the majority of the shots and our team would win every game.

"When I turned ten I started growing faster than a lot of the kids, so we had a great advantage than the other teams. We would travel around and win against all of our competition. I even got a nickname - 'The Middle School Terror'." He laughed - a full, hearty laugh. Sakura was saddened that she didn't hear it very often.

"Anyway, all the drama started after we entered the grand tournament..."

**(Flashback)**

"Ow!" Kakuzu yelped. The doctor continued prodding the boy's elbow with his gloved hands.

The man adjusted his glasses and pulled out his papers. "It's not broken, but I will say that his triceps tendon is very overused and sore."

Kakuzu's mother placed her hands on the boy's shoulders. "Will he still be able to play basketball?" she asked worried.

The doctor smiled cheerfully. "Of course he can! He just needs to be careful not to put too much strain on the muscle or it may not heal properly," he explained. He bent down to Kakuzu's level and smiled again. "Just make sure to rest your elbow, alright?"

However, regardless of the doctor's advice, Kakuzu continued playing the sport. "_I can't rest when we're so close to finals," _he thought.

Through all the pain that seemed to increase in his elbow, Kakuzu's group passed through each team in their division. The team screamed and hollered of their victory and were ready to go against Kumo Middle School - the reigning champion for over three years.

A large crowd stocked the bleachers of Kumo's gymnasium and their cheers echoed among the rafters. The announcer tapped on his microphone and began the introduction.

"Hello and welcome everyone to the finals division between Taki Middle School and Kumo Middle School! Let's hope to see an amazing performance from both sides and enjoy a great game of basketball!"

"Kumo Middle School needs an announcer for their games? What a load of ridiculous crap," Kakuzu's teammate complained.

Their coach shushed them as Kumo's basketball players entered the gym. Their captain stood face-to-face with Kakuzu and gave him a friendly smile. "Meeting like this as rivals is rather dull, but I've heard a lot about you from other schools. It's an honor to be able to compete for the title as champion, 'Middle School Terror'."

"It's nice to meet you too. I'll enjoy playing whether I win or lose against you."

The referees quickly took their position and Kakuzu and the dark-skinned, Kumo student took their places in the center of the gym. The referee threw the ball in the air and blew his whistle. Kakuzu hit the ball behind him and felt a small jolt of pain run up his arm. He brushed it off and continued playing.

His teammates dribbled past Kumo's defenses and threw the ball to their star player. Kakuzu scored and Taki's fans hollered as their points increased.

Although the clock was ticking down, Kakuzu's arm was feeling worse as the game continued. As he took his shot, the ball dropped from his hand and fell to the ground - he couldn't take it anymore. He clutched his arm and tried putting pressure on the pain.

"Are you okay?" the dark-skinned boy asked, truly concerned.

The referee walked up to the pair and bent down. "Should we have a time-out?"

Kakuzu shook his head stubbornly. "No, I'm fine! Let's keep going!" he grunted. The referee shrugged and blew his whistle to continue the match.

Kumo's team began catching up to Taki's and soon they were at equal points with the game coming to a close.

"Kakuzu, stop screwing around! You're going to ruin the game for us!" his teammate yelled.

Kakuzu ignored his comment and tried his best to bear through the pain. He stole the ball from his opponent and quickly dribbled to the other side of the gym. His fans cheered loudly as he pushed the ball from his hand with all his power. The ball flew through the air and collided with the rim of the net and bounced back onto the floor. The loud buzz of the clock echoed the gym and showed the final score:

Taki - 78 Kumo - 81.

Everyone disbanded from the gym and Taki's students walked out of the gym. The dark-skinned boy stared sadly at the disheartened Kakuzu, but was ushered out before he could speak to him.

The trip back to Taki was quiet and the air was sour. He could feel their icy stares on him as he walked off the bus and into his mother's car.

"Yeah, your elbow is very inflamed. You're suffering from tendinosis," the doctor said, writing down a prescription.

"Will I have it forever?!" Kakuzu asked, slightly afraid of his actions.

The doctor smiled reassuringly and rubbed the boy's elbow gently. "Don't worry, Kakuzu. As long as you take care not to be too active, your tendons will heal fine."

"_I won't have to worry about that because of the basketball tournament being over_," he thought angrily. The doctor gave his mother the prescription and the two walked out the office.

The duration of the season, Kakuzu was met with extreme resentment from his fellow club members and classmates.

"I bet your arm wasn't even hurt."

"I guess you're not as good as you think you are."

"Why we wasted our time on you is beyond my thinking"

He would rush home, skipping practice, and lock himself in his room. His mother would often have to pick the lock of his room to wake him up for the next day of school.

After a long discussion, Kakuzu's family decided that moving to Konoha would be best to help their son continue a happy school life.

**(End Flashback)**

"After we moved, I still wanted to join the basketball club. But Itachi-kun pulled me aside and asked if I could join the Student Council during our next year in high school. I thought it would be a good idea to make friends, so I accepted."

He clenched his fists tightly and slammed both hands on the asphault. "How could they just lay the blame on me? I was the one that carried their sorry asses to that tournament! Yet they turned their backs on me like I was a pile of garbage!"

Sakura placed her small hand over his fist. "Is your elbow still injured?"

He removed his hand from under hers and bent his arm up and down. "No, it healed a year after the incident."

They continued to watch as the middle schoolers played their game against each other. Kakuzu sighed loudly and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It was a pretty stupid story wasn't it? I hate talking about my personal life," he grumbled.

Sakura shook her head. "No, I didn't think it was stupid. I actually really liked hearing about you," she replied.

He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. "You act too nice, Sakura-chan. Why can't you be more aggressive?"

"Aggressive?"

"Yeah, it gets boring when a friend always agrees or does what you're saying. Try telling me something that you like or want."

She grabbed the last Uiro from the container and smiled brightly. "Well... I'd like to hear you laugh more!"

Kakuzu's face flushed and he shut his eyes tightly to avoid her cute, innocent smile. "That's not what I meant."

* * *

**A/N:**

**The next three months, I will probably be updating less than what I am due to a vacation. I will have my laptop with me, so when I get time, I will continue to update as much as I can.**

**Did anyone catch the awesome cameo? Go ahead and write it in a review if you know who it was that was captain of the Kumo basketball club! ;)**

**Thanks for reading!**


	9. The Shed

Sasori and Kakuzu waited patiently at Sakura's door, ready to begin the next day of the bake sale.

"How much money did you guys make yesterday?" Sasori asked.

"Yesterday we made a little over two hundred dollars. By then end of the day, we'll have enough money to help the Sewing Club."

Sasori leaned against the pillar supporting her porch. "That's good, so how fast did you sell everything?"

"It took all day, but it goes by quickly if you talk while you're waiting for customers," Kakuzu said.

Sasori raised his eyebrows. "You actually spoke? That's astonishing."

Sakura opened the door and zipped up her jacket. "Sorry, I thought it would only take a few minutes to get everything ready," she apologized.

Kakuzu and Sasori walked into the house and grabbed two boxes filled with desserts. She led them to Inoichi's pick-up truck and opened the tailgate.

"I am very thankful to you for helping my daughter's club, Sakura-san," Inoichi said, poking his head out the driver's side window.

Sakura walked over to the truck's window and bowed respectfully. "It's no problem, Yamanaka-sama! She's one of my friends and I can't wait to see the cute clothes she'll be making for the Cultural Festival!"

Sasori tapped her shoulder, getting her attention. "Hey, Sakura-chan, where's the table at?"

She pointed to an old shed to the side of her house. "It's in there, but can you get the other one too? We'll be meeting Deidara-kun at the school."

The redhead turned on his heels and headed toward the shed. He hated hanging around with the blonde idiot - they were complete opposites. Sasori could get along better with Hidan than Deidara. He opened the shed's door and pulled out the two, folded tables and walked back to the truck.

"The two boys can ride in the back of the truck. Sakura, you can take the passenger seat," Inoichi said.

The two boys climbed in the back and sat against the sides. Inoichi started the truck and they drove out to the school.

"I'm certainly not looking forward to this, Kakuzu-kun," Sasori yelled through the loud gusts of wind as the truck accelerated.

"Is it because selling cakes makes you look effeminate?" Kakuzu answered back.

Sasori rolled his eyes. "No, it's because I can't stand working with that arrogant fool!"

"You should be used to him by now, Sasori-kun. You've been in the same homeroom every year!"

Sasori bit the inside of his cheek and snorted, "Just because we've known each other for a long time doesn't mean we get along. We're polar opposites and he just doesn't understand that we have absolutely nothing in common."

"I'm sure there's something," Kakuzu assured.

The junior shook his head. "There's nothing. I guess I'll have to suffer next year with his constant babbling," he sighed.

The truck slowed to a stop and Sasori glared as the blonde greeted them with a wave.

"Deidara-kun!" Sakura hopped from the passenger seat and raced towards him, leaving the others to help unload the truck. "I'm sorry it took us so long to get here. I had to pack everything up."

Deidara grinned and walked to help unfold the second table. "It's okay, Sakura-chan!"

Sasori chuckled to himself. "Of course he can't help us. Too busy being a lazy-ass," he muttered quietly.

Sakura clapped her hands together and walked to the table next to Kakuzu. "Okay! Let's get started!"

Deidara nodded, but grimaced as his sales partner walked next to him. "Don't think I'm excited to be standing next to you either," Sasori said, responding to Deidara's disappointed look.

A few customers walked by and were met with friendly service at Kakuzu's and Sakura's stand - Deidara's and Sasori's... not as much. The two constantly argued of their different roles during the day.

"What do you mean it's my turn?!"

"Deidara, it's not as complicated as it looks. You take the money and count it!"

"I know that, idiot!"

" 'Idiot'? I hope I'm not hearing you right because atleast I can make the correct amount of change!"

Sakura would often have to coax the customers to their stand and apologize for their impolite behavior. After the customer left, Sakura stomped over to the two and dragged Sasori to Kakuzu's side.

"If you don't stop insulting each other, I'll make sure to punch you in the mouth so hard you can't speak!" she hissed.

"_That's better than being nice all the time_," Kakuzu thought.

"If Deidara would stop talking so much about himself, we would probably make more sales," Sasori spat.

Deidara flipped his blonde hair from his eyes and glared at his classmate. "I'm not talking about myself, idiot! I'm just trying to make the customer feel invited to buy some of the sweets!"

"Talking about your old dog isn't very inviting - especially when you mention its death."

Sakura interrupted their quarrel with her hand raising in the air. "Enough! This is getting ridiculous! Keep your mouths shut until we're done selling the rest of the food!"

They did as they were told and listened as Kakuzu and Sakura continued to chat with each other. Sasori would steal glances at the annoying blonde and would often find the boy staring also. They would quickly jerk their heads back to center and obey whatever orders they were given.

As the sun began setting, Sakura texted Inoichi to pick them up and quickly began stacking the empty containers in the boxes. Kakuzu raked in the money and placed it in his old, worn-out suitcase underneath the table. "Let's get this stuff ready and we'll head back to Sakura's to count the money," he grunted in his deep, rough voice.

Sasori and Deidara folded each table and held them, waiting for Inoichi's pick-up to drive by.

On the way, both boys ignored each other's presence while talking to Kakuzu and Sakura.

"So, Kakuzu-kun, how much do you think we earned?" Sasori asked, staring down at the suitcase.

Kakuzu's fingers tapped down on the leather-bound suitcase. "I'm not sure, but from how much she made, it will be a large sum." He could feel himself slip into a state of euphoria as he thought of counting all the loot.

Inoichi pulled into Sakura's driveway and waited patiently as they removed their supplies. He waved goodbye and drove home.

Sakura turned to Sasori and Deidara as they pulled out the folded tables. "Can you guys stick them back in the shed?"

They agreed and opened the door to the old storage. As they stepped inside, a gust of wind blew over the town and slammed the metal door shut. Sasori rushed over and tried pushing the door open. "Hey, Sakura-chaaan! The door's locked can you open it?"

Sakura and Kakuzu rushed to the door. She pulled with all of her strength, but had no success. "That's so weird. It's never locked like this on its own before," she said, puzzled.

Kakuzu's nose crinkled up in confused. "But, Sakura-"

"Get me out of here! I can't be stuck in this place with _him_," Deidara exclaimed, pushing on the door.

Sakura walked to the door and called through the thick metal. "It's okay! Kakuzu-kun and I will go look in the house for the key!"

She pulled Kakuzu to the house. "But, Sakura-chan, _you_ locked the door," Kakuzu whispered.

She turned to Kakuzu and smiled. "Yeah, I know, but I think this is a way for them to finally settle on their bickering."

Deidara continued pounding on the door while Sasori took a seat on old, cardboard boxes. "You're wasting your time. You're not strong enough to open it," the redhead said.

Deidara turned his head and rushed to the window at the back of the shed. "Don't bother. It doesn't open," Sasori said, predicting his move.

The blonde was fuming at the relaxed, stoic expression Sasori had on his face. "Stop acting like you're so cool, Sasori," he barked.

Sasori's brown eyes slowly trailed over to Deidara. He flipped his hand in the air as if motioning the boy back. "Stop acting so overemotional; you're such a woman," he said, blandly.

"I'm not acting like a woman! It's okay to have emotions unlike some lifeless freak!"

Sasori's eyes widened at the insult, but turned his head to hide the fact Deidara's insult bothered him. Unfortunately, Deidara caught his upset expression and smirked, "I'm sorry did I hurt your feelings by calling you that?"

"No," Sasori lied, continuing to avoid gazing back at Deidara.

"Good because I wouldn't be able to understand why something like that could hurt your feelings," he replied.

Sasori ended their conversation and stared outside the window. He wondered in his mind what was taking Sakura so long - keys weren't that difficult to find.

Although Sasori took the mature approach to end the foolish fight, Deidara wasn't ready to leave the redhead alone.

"It's really great to see you upset, Sasori. It's too bad that I have to suffer along in your company."

He glanced down and continued, "You act like you're better than everybody else and it makes me absolutely sick! That condescending look you give everybody in the club is something I hate most about you."

Sasori's head turned sharply. "I don't care if you hate me, Deidara. I don't care if nobody likes me in the club. I only joined so I wouldn't have to go home to-" He broke off, letting his mouth stay open for a moment afterward.

Deidara became curious. "Go home to what?"

"Nothing," he mumbled, playing with the end of rolled up tape coming off the box he sat on.

"See? This is why you don't have any friends because you shut yourself off from everyone. You think you're so perfect, Sasori." Deidara turned away from Sasori and frowned. "Your parents must be so disappointed in you."

Sasori tackled Deidara into a tower of boxes, causing them to fall on top of the two boys. Deidara laid against the hard floor, his eyes meeting with Sasori's. The boys stared silently at each other as Deidara tried reading through Sasori's powerful gaze.

The redhead had a tight grip on Deidara's shirt and pulled him close. "Don't ever say anything about my parents again. Do you hear me, you piece of shit!" he cursed sharply.

Deidara tried pulling away, but Sasori only pushed him closer. "Get off of me, freak!" he shouted. Deidara struggled with his classmate until Sasori's fist hammered into his cheek. Sasori startled himself and scooted away to the opposite side of the room.

Blood began filling Deidara's mouth and leaked through his teeth and out his lips. He stood up and wiped the blood from his chin. Sasori was ashamed of his behavior - he knew better than to unleash his anger like that.

"That hurt like hell," Deidara said.

Sasori looked up. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"Sorry, isn't gonna' cut it!" Deidara tightened his hand into a fist and was ready to strike. Sasori shut his eyes as he waited for Deidara's punch, but opened them to find his fist only inches away from his face.

"Why didn't you hit me?" Sasori asked, puzzled.

"Why didn't you flinch?" Deidara countered.

Sasori lowered his head. "Even though I don't like you very much, I shouldn't have hit you. So, I thought it would be fair if you hit me back," he said.

Deidara slapped his hand to his forehead and shook his head. "You're hopeless, Sasori."

Sasori buried his face in his hands and sighed, "I know. You don't have to tell me."

Deidara put his hands on his hips and scowled, "Stop acting so gloomy. Let's just wait quietly until Sakura-chan and Kakuzu-kun come back."

The boys sat in the dark shed as the sun disappeared over the landscape. Sasori continued to stare out the window while Deidara began searching through the boxes.

"You shouldn't be looking through their belongings," Sasori stated.

Deidara rolled his eyes and continued his search. "I'm not really looking through them. I'm looking for a flashlight or something." He pulled out a few old books and pushed the empty box away.

He cheered as he pulled out an old, crank-powered flashlight and powered it up. The flashlight slowly charged and grew brighter as it illuminated the room. He hovered over a few more cardboard boxes and began lifting their flaps.

Sasori walked over to the nosey blonde. "I thought you weren't going through their things?" He crouched down and looked over his shoulder.

"Hey look! An old yearbook! I wonder if we're in here?" Deidara ignored Sasori's remark and began flipping through the pages.

He stopped at a page labeled as 'Parents' Day' and found a young Sasori with his parents standing next a random student. "Hey there you are. Why do they never put pictures of me in here?"

Deidara turned to Sasori and was surprised with his expression. Sasori pulled the yearbook away from Deidara and brushed his fingers against both of his parents' faces. His brown eyes were shadowed with sadness and his mouth curved downward into a frown.

Deidara had not been introduced to Sasori fully until last year when they were accepted on the Student Council, but they shared the same class each year. Sasori was quiet and often pushed others away from him. He always acted like he didn't want friends, so nobody really liked him very much.

The only time he would speak was if a teacher called on him to answer a question, but that happened a handful of times. He also would never participate in the cultural festivals and didn't even attend his middle school graduation. Deidara wondered why he would even skip something like that.

"Sasori, what happened to your parents?" he asked, his tone was serious as he gazed at his classmate.

Sasori snapped out of his thoughts and turned away from the blonde's sight. "It's nothing that I need to tell you," he muttered.

Deidara crossed his arms and yanked the yearbook from Sasori's grasp. "Why do you do that? You think it makes you look cool?! Break down those stupid walls you built up and tell me what's going on!" he yelled.

"You wouldn't understand, idiot!"

"I can try," Deidara argued.

"You can't! You've never had to deal with the loss of your parents!"

Deidara frowned and stayed silent as the brown-eyed boy's face twisted into an expresson of disgust.

"I hate living here! I hate everyone and everything!"

"How can you say that? We're all your friends," Deidara snapped.

Sasori waved his fists in the air. "How can I be friends with any of you? Everything you guys have is what _I _want!"

Deidara was confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Is it that hard to understand? Parents and love! I don't come home to a cooked meal or welcoming smiles! I come home to a drunk grandmother that always calls me by my father's name! I run to my room when I go home because I hate listening to the shit!"

Sasori's eyes stung as tears streamed down his face. "I hate going to school festivals or trips because who will come and praise me for my accomplishments? I always hear kids complaining about their parents, but that's what I want so desperately! I would give anything to bring them back to me!"

Deidara grabbed both of Sasori's shoulders and pulled him into a hug. Sasori struggled, but Deidara's firm hold couldn't be broken. Sasori looked down at the strange boy.

"I'm sorry," Deidara whispered.

Sasori pushed him away. "Don't hug me like that!"

"Sasori, I know that I can't truly understand how it is to lose my mom and dad, but are you sure your parents would want to see you like this - all angry and filled with hate?"

The flashlight began losing power as the light dimmed. Deidara picked it up and cranked it again. "I'm not as smart as everybody else and I don't give out very good advice, but you should lighten up. I mean, I still really don't like you, but your story really makes me want to go home and hug my mom and thank her for everything."

"I wish that I could do that," Sasori said, looking down at his worn sneakers.

Deidara smiled. "If you really don't like going home then why don't you just stay at my house once in a while?"

"I'm sure your parents wouldn't want to deal with me."

"Com'on! If you stop bringing yourself down like that, you'll probably be a lot happier. My parents are pretty cool and they like it when I bring friends over."

"I'm not your friend though," Sasori stated.

Deidara laughed, "They don't have to know that."

Sasori nodded and watched as Deidara stuffed the old yearbook back into the box and searched through others. He gasped and pulled out a small box behind the others. "Hey, look. There's a bunch of little kid toys in here," he said.

"Probably Sakura-chan's from when she was little," Sasori noted. Deidara took out a few cloth dolls and old coloring books. His eyes widened as a small clay-building set sat at the bottom of the box.

Sasori raised his eyebrows as Deidara opened the box. He picked up the old clay and smiled. "Wow, it's still pretty moldable for being so old," he said impressed.

Sasori took the box and searched through it to find an old sketchbook. He flipped through the pages and found an empty sheet. He pulled out a box of crayons from the same box and began drawing.

Deidara molded the piece of clay into a bird and presented it to Sasori. "It's a Pygmy Woodpecker!"

He looked over Sasori's shoulder and watched as he finished the body of a woman. Sasori turned to Deidara and both were quite surprised with their skills.

"That woodpecker almost looks alive. You even got the patterns on its head, wings and breast," Sasori said astonished.

Deidara thanked him, but continued to watch as Sasori drew the woman's face and hair. "You're really skilled at drawing! Can you draw animals?"

Sasori smiled sheepishly. "Not as well as I can draw people," he answered.

"Why didn't you join the Art Club?" Deidara asked.

He finished the drawing and tore it from the sketchbook. "I wanted to, but I never had enough money to pay for the tools and fees. Why didn't you?"

Deidara folded his arms behind his head and leaned against the boxes behind him. "I would have, but Itachi-kun asked me to join the Student Council. Being in two clubs would be a hassle to deal with, you know?" Deidara chuckled to himself.

"What?" Sasori asked.

"It's funny that we actually have something in common - art!"

Sasori nodded and picked up the yearbook from the box. He turned to the page with his family's picture and ripped it out.

"My grandmother burned all of their photos, so I barely remember their faces. I'm positive Sakura wouldn't miss this section of the yearbook anyway," he said.

"Me too," Deidara agreed.

Speak of the Devil!

An audible click came from the door and the metal shifted. Sakura peeped behind the heavy door and smiled. "Sorry it took us so long! That key was just so hard to find!" She opened the door fully and the two boys walked outside. Deidara fell to the ground and pretended to kiss the ground.

"Sweet, sweet earth!"

Kakuzu walked over to Sasori. "I'm surprised you both are still alive," he grunted.

Sasori laughed softly and listened as Sakura complained over the mess in the shed. He watched as Deidara lied of his brilliant fight against Sasori and smashed the boy into the boxes around the shed.

"It was good timing that you came when you did, Sakura-chan! I almost beat Sasori into a pile of dust!" he boasted.

"Yeah, I was scared for my life," Sasori said sarcastically, walking over to Deidara.

Sakura stood by and noticed Sasori handing Deidara a folded piece of paper. "I still don't like you very much, but here is this drawing," he said, a very small smile on his face.

Deidara grinned and placed the small mockingbird in his hand. "You're a real pain, but atleast you're less of pain than before!"

She glanced at both boys and smiled happily. "_They may not like each other yet, but atleast they're not at each other's throats_."

* * *

**A/N: **

**Hey, sorry for the update, but they will probably be like this until July! Sorry! I hope you still continue to read because I still got a lot of great and funny ideas for this story. :)**


	10. Swimming Lessons

Itachi grabbed the red marker from the dry-erase board and began writing. Summer vacation started tomorrow and he was ready to start organizing their days.

Although the other club members were fine with this, Sakura wasn't very happy to have someone else control her vacation. "Why do we need to be on a strict plan? Can't we just do whatever we want?" she asked, raising her hand.

Itachi turned away from the board and pushed the cap back on the marker. "We are going to have fun, Sakura-san, but there are seven members of this club. If we all go and do our own thing, we won't have much time to be together and form the appropriate bonds we need during our high school days," he explained with his toneless voice.

Deidara leaned over to Sasori. "There he goes again. He must have been reading those weird high school relationship books again," he whispered.

"If he continues doing this, my head is going to explode," Sasori said back.

Itachi continued, "Also, if we don't make a thorough plan, our club's summer activities will be thrown into a chaotic mess. Right now, we will throw out ideas and write them down. Who wants to go first?"

Kakuzu raised his hand. "We should try our best to go to free or very cheap places during the summer. It should be our goal not to spend a single penny."

"That's fuckin' stupid! How are we supposed to do anything fun if we can't spend money?" Hidan argued.

"How about we only use our personal money when necessary?" Sakura suggested. Itachi pulled off the cap and wrote down 'SPEND MONEY WHEN NECESSARY' on the board and turned back to his friends.

Sasori raised his hand slightly. "We can save some money up to go to an amusement park. Since we didn't go last year, we should go this summer break."

"But the money!" Kakuzu squirmed.

Itachi closed his eyes and shook his head. "Kakuzu-kun, we'll have to spend some money and a trip to the amusement park would be worth the spending." He wrote down 'AMUSEMENT PARK' and waited patiently for other ideas.

"The beach is an obvious choice," Deidara stated, playing with his pencil.

Sakura shifted nervously in her seat. "Why do we have to go to the beach? It's just water anyway."

Kisame nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's never hot enough to go swimming anyway. We don't need to go."

Itachi cocked his head to the side. "Last year, it reached over ninety degrees. Please tell me there's a reason behind all your foolishness?"

The two shook their heads. "No, of course not!" they yelled in unison.

Itachi crossed his arms, unable to accept their answers. "Don't tell me you can't swim," he joked.

Deidara laughed. "Yeah, only little kids can't swim! What are you a couple of little brats?"

Kisame's face flushed. "It's none of your damn business, idiot! I just don't like the stupid water!"

The boys turned to Sakura and waited for her reason. She sank down in her seat while mumbling, "I actually just can't swim..."

Deidara laughed loudly and Hidan joined in a moment later. "Why can't you swim, Sakura-san?" Itachi asked.

"I don't know?! Why can't you run an actual meeting where we get something done!" she snapped.

Itachi shook his head and glared at the pink-haired student. "That was quite rude, Sakura-san. I'm afraid I have no choice, but to give out an order so horrifying, you will have nightmares for days." He walked to the closet near the door and pulled out a frilly, maid dress. Sakura screamed loudly in protest and ran to the other side of the room.

"You're the Mascot and yet you don't really do much for the club. Why not wear it?" He took a step forward and the girl dropped to her knees.

She clapped her hands together and raised them above her head. "I'll do anything, Senpai! Please don't make me wear that!" she begged.

Itachi hung the dress over his shoulder and thought for a moment. "We all want to go to the beach. You can't swim, but I know what we can do to help. Tomorrow you can sign up for swimming classes at the elementary school," he replied.

"I don't want to go alone," she said, a hint of embarrassment in her tone. Hidan stood up to accept, but was pushed back by Kisame's rough hand.

"I'll go with you," he announced.

Itachi placed the marker on the dry-erase board's holder. "That's actually a good idea. Kisame-kun can go swimming to help enjoy it better. This meeting is adjourned! Kisame-kun, call me after her swimming lessons are finished."

Sakura stomped her foot. "That's it?!"

Itachi turned around and pulled the dress off of his shoulder. "I'm sorry what was that?"

Kisame waited at her doorstep early in the morning. He looked down at his waterproof watch and continued to stand near the door. The hinges squeaked and an older man walked through the door, his pink hair spiked up in different directions.

"Good morning," Kisame greeted.

The man walked away with no words, but an annoyed grunt gurgling from his throat. "_Another boy at the house? This is getting ridiculous._"

Sakura walked out the door, holding a small bag in her hand. She smiled nervously at her blue-skinned club member. "Well, let's go, Kisame-kun."

Kisame and Sakura stood in their swimsuits in a line of small, elementary students. Iruka-sensei walked to the side of the pool and waded through the water.

"Good day, everyone. Today is the first day of swimming lessons; we will be testing our limits in the water. Now, everyone step into the water and walk to the deepest spot you can handle, okay?"

He reassured many of the children that he would assist them if anything should happen, causing the line to move towards the pool.

Sakura dipped her feet and moved slowly into the water. The water climbed to her waist then to her chest. She halted as the water reached her neck and had her toes pushing on the bottom of the pool.

Kisame caught up to her - the water only reached an inch above his navel. "Can I confess something to you, Sakura?"

"What is it?" she asked, her body bobbing up and down in the water.

He began to speak, but quickly shut his mouth and forced a smile. "Nothing. Never mind." Sakura cocked her head, but was distracted by Iruka-sensei's next orders.

"I see everybody has reached their limits. Now, one of the first things to learn when swimming is how to float. Everyone turn on your backs and try to stay in that position for as long as you can."

Kisame and Sakura followed the orders and tried their best to stay floating in the chlorinated water. He turned his head to speak to the pink-haired girl, but was distracted by the two, small breasts poking through the water. Sakura could feel his eyes on her and turned to find his head swiftly move to the opposite side of the pool.

They continued through the basics of their swimming lessons the first day and finished with learning to dog-paddle through the shallow end of the pool.

After their lesson, Sakura waited by the entrance of the pool. "Did you think I did well for my first day?" she asked, hoping for positive feedback.

"Considering we have three more days I think you are doing fine. I heard Iruka-sensei say we are learning the breaststroke the last day as a test." A tingling sensation flowed through him as he remembered Sakura's breasts again.

Her hand grasped his shoulder and turned him around. "What is it?" He wondered why her face seemed so serious.

"I'm glad that you came here. Deidara-kun or Hidan-kun surely would have made fun of me the entire time."

Kisame brushed her hand off his shoulder and frowned. "It's not a big deal. Besides, Itachi-kun said it was better if I went anyway."

She tried to smile, but was confused by his change in personality. She had never been alone with Kisame and knew he preferred to keep to himself. During most club meetings, he would barely speak unless to agree with Itachi. However, he's speaking much more than she expected and she swore on her life she saw him blushing earlier. She honestly enjoyed spending time with the blue-skinned senior.

"Well, I've got to get back home," she said, walking ahead of him. She turned halfway and waved goodbye.

Kisame nodded his head and grunted again. She laughed and ran out to the sidewalk and out of Kisame's sight.

The boy put his hand to his forehead and frowned. "She's so weird."

"You're all doing great! Now the frontstroke isn't as hard as the breaststroke, but it's a good place to start when learning how to swim. What you want to do is float on your stomach and do flutter kicks with your legs like this... Then, you push the water behind you, but one thing you have to remember is when you're pushing the water and one of your arms is above you - that's when you breathe. That way, you'll be breathing once with every two strokes. Okay, let's all try it now."

Iruka waded over to the side of the pool and watched all the children (and also the two highschool students) begin the frontstroke.

Sakura was feeling confident and quickly made her way to the deepest area of the water. She pushed her feet against the coping wall of the pool and swam back to the other side. When she stood up, she noticed Kisame sitting down at the edge of the pool.

"What's wrong?" She bended her knees for her eyes to meet his.

Kisame continued moving his feet around in the water. "It's nothing. I just don't feel like swimming today."

"You were fine yesterday. Come on, let's go and swim the frontstroke." She pulled him over to the shallow end.

He released himself from her tight grasp and growled, "I don't want to, okay?"

She pulled her hand back and forced a smile on her face. "That's fine, Kisame-kun." She walked back into the pool and continued practicing her frontstroke. She hoped that she didn't upset him too much.

Iruka pulled himself out of the pool and sat on the edge in front of his students. "Alright, we've went through treading and the frontstroke today. You're all doing a magnificent job and I'm sure that you will all pass the test tomorrow. I'll explain everything tomorrow - have a nice day, guys!"

The children groaned and walked back to the changing rooms. Sakura pulled off her swimming cap and shook out her pink locks. As she walked to the changing room, Kisame called her name near the diving board.

Kisame watched as she walked past the elementary students and stopped inches away from him. "Yes?"

He tried his best to think of the words that he thought were appropriate. "I'm sorry for being rude earlier. What I really should tell you is..." He trailed off, uncertain of himself and slightly embarrassed.

"Please, tell me," she begged, stepping closer.

Kisame scratched the top of his scalp and blushed furiously. "I can't swim. There I said it! The guy who looks like a fish can't swim! You can laugh now."

He didn't expect her to grab his hand and smile; it seemed she didn't find it funny. "Why didn't you tell me?"

" 'Why didn't I tell you?' Sakura, it's really embarrassing when a senior in high school hasn't been taught to swim and is afraid he'll drown if he steps foot in the deep water."

"But yesterday we learned how to tread which will help us swim in deep water. We'll be fine if we're taught just a few things. You just have to get used to the water and all your fears will go away."

"I'm not like you, Sakura. I can't adapt very well to my fears and it's hard to overcome them. You're too easy."

Sakura misunderstood his statement and balled up her fist. "What did you say?"

Kisame crouched down and held his hands up in defense. "I didn't mean _that_ kind of easy! I meant that you're able to overcome your own personal obstacles very easily - I can't do that."

"Then let me teach you!"

Kisame walked into his home and was met with a welcoming hug from his mother. "How was your last day of swimming lessons?"

"It was okay. I passed the last test, but I have to go call Itachi-kun," he mumbled, walking through the hallway and into his room. He turned down supper and dialed the Uchiha's number.

"Hello?" His deep voice answered through the light static.

Kisame cleared his throat. "Hey, it's Kisame. I wanted to tell you that Sakura's finished with her swimming lessons."

"Did you learn how to swim too?" Itachi asked.

The Vice President paused, but answered, "Yes, she actually helped me."

"Did you make her swear to secrecy like you did to me?" Kisame could hear the smirk in his voice.

Kisame chuckled, "Yeah, I did, but she didn't mind doing it."

"So, Kisame-kun, I have one, last question that I need to ask you."

"What is that?"

"How did she look in her swimsuit?"

Kisame blushed. "What kind of question is that?!" Itachi laughed as his poor friend's voice cracked with embarrassment.


	11. The Beach

Sakura lifted herself from her bed and walked slowly to her closet. She picked up an old t-shirt and a pair of shorts and her two-piece swimsuit.

"_Waking up this early to go to the beach is pretty ridiculous," _she thought to herself, rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes.

She met with her father downstairs and walked past him without another thought. She squeaked in surprise as his large hand grabbed her shoulder. He turned her around and stared at her for a moment with dark, solemn eyes.

"Where are you going, Sakura?" he asked.

She held her bag of beach supplies tightly in her arms and smiled. "I'm just going to the beach with my friends. I should be going now, Dad, I'll see you later."

She tried to walk to the door, but was caught again by her father's grasp. She faced him once more, but was met with an aggravated expression crossing his face.

"If you keep hanging out with those boys... I will make sure to talk to their parents about it and you won't see them outside of school anymore."

She pulled away and walked to the door. "I'm not hanging out with them today. I'm hanging out with Ino and my friends from class," she replied.

Kizashi's expression softened and returned back to his normal demeanor. "Oh, that's fine then! Have fun, honey." He retreated back to the kitchen to make himself coffee.

Sakura walked to the shed and pulled out her old bicycle. She placed her bag in the old basket and launched her leg over the other side of the bike. She lied to her father, but as long as he didn't find out, nobody would get hurt.

Her feet pedaled all the way to the entrance of the fenced-in beach. She wiped beads of sweat from her forehead and waved to her Student Council friends. She ran through the sand that burnt the soles of her feet and stood in the cool waves.

"Why are you in your clothes? You can't swim like that or you'll get chafed pretty bad," Sasori stated, holding his rolled-up towel in his arm.

Sakura stuck her tongue out. "Yeah, I forgot about that. I'll be right back, oh, and let me lock my bike too."

She raced back to her bike and then to the changing room, leaving the boys alone.

"So, this will be," Itachi started.

"The first time we see Sakura-chan in a swimsuit," Deidara finished.

An awkward silence spread through the group and each boy held a squirmy, helpless look on their face. They continued to stay silent and shifted uneasily as the waves crashed onto the beach around their feet.

"Why are we acting like this? It's not that big of a deal; we've seen girls in bathing suits before," Kisame questioned.

"And it's not like we all like Cherry-chan anyway. That shit would be fucked up," Hidan half-joked.

"Yeah," Kakuzu said casually.

Another moment of awkward silence fell over them. Although they were in a group, it was as if each boy was in their own world, with their own thoughts. Each of them wondered what the others were thinking, but weren't able to speak out their thoughts. They were all friends, but something has changed dramatically inside them. For some reason, that thread of friendship has thinned and they didn't seem to understand how one girl could change their relationships so much.

Itachi noticed the pinkette walking out of the changing room with a towel wrapped around her body. "Looks like she's wearing a one-piece," he observed, sounding quite disappointed.

Her hair flowed carelessly in the wind as she walked forward. Her towel hid her body causing each boy to guess what she could be wearing underneath. Although the day was hot, the boys were sweating as if they were in the afternoon sun of a desert. Their hearts pounded against their chest as she pulled the towel off of her body and laid it on the hot sand.

Her two-piece swimsuit was a modest style compared to what most girls wear in today's age. A large, ruffled bow covered her small breasts and a short skirt made of translucent fabric covered her bottom. Each article of the swimsuit was held with drawstrings that made a neat bow.

The only parts of her body that were given attention were her flat stomach and her long legs. The girl had no curves, but looked confident in her own skin - that's what made her look beautiful.

She raced to her friends, but was caught off-guard by a pair of large breasts pressed against her back and arms wrapping around her.

"Sakura! I didn't know you were going to come today!" Ino squealed.

Sakura turned to her blonde friend and frowned, "What do you mean?"

Ino jumped away and walked to the group of students from their homeroom. "A few of us decided during our last day of class we wanted to go to the beach together. I was surprised you knew about it since you always go to the Student Council room during lunch." Sakura's classmates waved at her and encircled her.

"Oh, I didn't hear that. I came here with my other friends," Sakura explained, pointing to the six boys standing in the waves.

The freshmen in her class gasped in awe. "Wow, they even hang out with you after school and club activities?" Shikamaru asked, impressed.

"Well, I did say 'friends' and friends do hang out together," she answered, slightly annoyed.

Naruto broke through the group and grabbed Sakura's wrist. "Who cares? Let's go swim, Sakura-chan!" Sakura twisted away and motioned towards her junior and senior clubmates.

"Let me go ask if they want to swim too." She could hear Naruto groan, but ignored the blonde's childish behavior.

She dashed through the hot sand and asked if they'd like to swim. "It'll be fun," she added, happily.

Their plan ruined, each boy refused to swim out with her classmates. She shrugged and went back into the ocean to swim with her friends- with her freshman friends here, she didn't feel as bad for lying to her dad either.

Itachi rolled out his towel next to the others and sat down. "I can't believe we're here and yet we're not swimming," he sighed.

"It's because her stupid, freshman friends are here. Ugh, why can't she be a higher grade level?" Deidara complained.

"I hate freshman - they ruin everything," Sasori said, disgusted.

Itachi stretched on his towel and brushed sand from his swimming trunks. "Well, since they ruined our beach day, let's try to take it back."

The six boys walked over to Ino and surrounded her. She brought her knees to her chest and glanced at each of them.

"W-what is it? Sakura's over there if you n-need her," she stuttered.

Sasori crept closer to the girl and stared deeply into her eyes. "My goodness, Yamanaka-chan, you're so beautiful. I'm wondering how long I must wait to restrain myself from kissing you." He almost puked.

The poor, freshman girl's face and chest turned a light red. She stayed silent, so Sasori continued spouting cheesy, romantic lines.

"I'm desperate for your touch Yamanaka-chan. I want to feel your velvet skin against mine as we embrace each other into the night."

Itachi sat down next to her. "As you can see, Yamanaka-san, Sasori-kun is very much in love with you. He's rather shy, so I'll tell you what he truly wants," Itachi continued nearing Ino's ear, "He wants to go on a date with you today."

Ino's blush deepened. "Wh-what?! He does?" She knew she was good-looking, but a junior confessing their love was something she wasn't expecting.

"Yes, he has been watching you for so long, but has never found the words he needed to ask you out properly," Itachi explained in a smooth voice.

Sasori crawled closer. "Will you accept?"

Ino smiled widely and giggled, "Of course! Where would you like to go?"

"Meet me at Ichiraku Diner at two o'clock and I want you to look your very best." He forced a flirtatious smile on his face and winked at the naive girl.

Ino stood from her spot with slightly shaking legs and packed up her things. "Two o'clock? Okay, I'll go get ready now." She walked in a daze back to her home.

Sasori crawled away and began dry-heaving exaggeratedly. "Ugh, that was horrible! I will never do that again," he wheezed.

"That's alright. Next we'll go after Nara and Akimichi," Itachi ordered.

The team raced over to the two leaning against the changing rooms. "What do you upperclassmen want with us?" Shikamaru asked.

Sasori, Deidara and Kisame pulled Shikamaru away while Kakuzu, Hidan and Itachi pulled Choji in the other direction.

"Hey, you know Yamanaka, right?" Deidara whispered to the freshman.

"What about her?" Choji asked Itachi while munching on a candybar.

Itachi leaned closer to the pudgy freshman. "I heard that she has a major crush on you, Akimichi."

Shikamaru stumbled backwards against the wall and dropped the bag of chips in his hand. "Ino doesn't like me like that! Atleast I've never heard about it. How troublesome..."

Deidara nodded his head and gave the Nara an honest smile. "Yeah, she wants to meet you at Ichiraku Diner."

Choji was eating his candybar with amazing speed and almost choked on the last piece. Itachi slapped his back a few times and the boy finally calmed down. "She really wants to see me at Ichiraku Diner?"

Itachi and Deidara both moved closer to each boy they were speaking to. "It will be at two o'clock, so make sure you're not late."

Shikamaru and Choji walked to meet each other. Shikamaru casually placed his hands in his pockets and turned his head toward the sky.

"Hey, Choji, I forgot that I have an important errand to run for my mom. Is it okay if I split?"

Choji nodded his head nervously. "Yeah, that's cool. I've got something I need to do too," the large boy answered.

The two waved goodbye and ran off in opposite directions.

After the group lost sight of the boys, they bursted up in laughter. Itachi knew most of the children due to his role as Student Council President, so this will be easy. He walked to the next group of freshman. He was ready to continue their objective to lose all the freshman and enjoy the beach with Sakura.

"Aburame, I heard that the Entomology Research Center is having a free tour day today. And-"

Shino interrupted Deidara with a raised hand. "There is no need to say anymore, sir. I shall gladly go there without another thought." The boy raced off without another word into the route of the bug center.

"That kid's fuckin' weird," Hidan muttered.

Itachi pointed the remaining three. "We have Inuzuka, Hyuga, and Uzumaki left. We have to make sure that Sakura doesn't know thast we're the ones causing their absences."

"I'll get Inuzuka," Kakuzu stated and walked to the dog-like boy.

Itachi stepped to Sasori and Hidan. "You two will distract Sakura for awhile. I'll take care of Uzumaki and Deidara will work with Hyuga."

"What should I do?" Kisame asked, ready to take on any mission.

Itachi thought for a moment and pointed towards the vending machine. "You go get us some drinks - it's really hot out."

Kisame hunched his back and walked slowly to the vending machines. "I wanted to do something too!"

Kakuzu mentioned Kiba's older sister needing help at the veterinarian clinic. Although the boy questioned the senior how he knew, Kakuzu's tall stature and angry face was enough for Kiba to trust him.

-two more-

Sasori and Hidan waded through the water and distracted Sakura by catching a small crab and chasing her.

Itachi walked to Naruto in the water and whispered, "There having a sale on ramen at the supermarket today." Naruto ran out of the water and dashed out of the beach.

-one more-

Deidara walked to Hinata's beach towel. "Hey, there," he said dark-haired girl said nothing back and shyly hid her face in her hands.

"You're Hyuga-san, right? I think it's cool how your dad runs that entire Byaku Glasses company all by himself. Anyway, more to the point, Uzumaki wants you to help him shop for ramen. "

Hinata almost fainted. "N-naruto-kun? H-he wants m-m-meee to help him shop?"

Deidara bent down and helped the girl to her feet. " How about you promise to buy him a few packets of ramen? I'm sure he'll like that."

He walked the girl to the entrance of the beach and watched as she drove away on her electric scooter.

-MISSION COMPLETE-

Sakura punched Sasori and Hidan, but was unable to find her classmates. "Where did they all go?" she asked aloud.

Itachi walked over and simply shrugged. "I'm not sure. They all must've forgotten something important they had to do."

They waited for the girl to speak, but was surprised by a sudden scream. Sakura raced to the changing room and put her clothes on over her swimsuit. The boys chased after her and continued to question her strange behavior.

"I'm really sorry guys, but I totally forgot that I have a summer homework assignment that I need to get done! We only have two weeks of summer left and I can't waste anymore time - bye!" She pedaled away on her bike and was immediately out of sight.

"All that work for nothing," Sasori sighed.

Kisame took a sip of his drink. "Maybe we should have just accepted her offer instead of trying to get rid of the stupid freshmen."

Deidara froze in terror and pointed. "Ehh, speaking of freshmen..." The group of Sakura's homeroom classmates were raging towards them - their faces were not amused by their lies.

"You asshole you stood me up and tried making Shikamaru and Choji substitute for you!" Ino yelled.

"How dare you lie about the Entomology Reseach Center! Although, I did get a free pamphlet..."

"My sister didn't need my help! And you made Hinata-chan have a panic attack!"

"You're dead for lying about the half-off sale at the supermarket!"

The group backed away and Itachi tried his best to reason with the group. "Now, now everyone... We can't possibly fight a group of freshmen."

Naruto lifted his fist. "You don't have to! We'll beat the crap outta you before you can!"

Sakura pulled out her World Literature book and her notebook. She opened it and laughed, "Oh my gosh! I could have swore that I didn't even start it yet! Oh well, I bet the guys will think it's hilarious."

* * *

**A/N:**

**This chapter was an entire random idea I had. It seemed pretty fun and I actually enjoyed writing it haha. Anyway, they'll be more where that comes from, sooo relax and wait patiently for the next update! :D**


	12. What The Hell Have I Done?

Itachi was confused by the strange stares he was receiving. He walked through the street carrying the bag of groceries while heading to his next destination - home. The people staring at him were students he recognized from school, but he couldn't hear their hushed whispers.

He walked through the door and was greeted by an empty home.

"Why make me pick up groceries if you're not going to stay home?" he asked aloud. He placed the bag on the kitchen counter and found a note taped to the refrigerator.

"_Itachi,_

_Went out with Sasuke to Oto. We'll be back the same time as Dad, okay?_

_Love you,_

_Mom."_

Itachi crumpled the note in his hand and wondered to himself. Why would they go to Oto? The only place it was known for was its academy and only snotty, rich kids attended it. His cellphone vibrated in his pocket and the Uchiha held it to his ear.

"What is it, Hidan?"

Hidan laughed through the phone. "Did you forget? We have a meeting about the Cultural Festival today. We're all waiting for your ass!"

_Shit._

Itachi sighed, "Yeah, I'll be down there in a minute. Tell them I'm sorry for being late."

Hidan agreed and both hung up. Itachi stuffed his phone in his pocket and continued to think of the reasons they would go to Oto. It wasn't that big of a deal that they went, but he felt uneasy about the trip.

"_They have that diner, but it wouldn't be something they would go all the way there for. Damn, why can't I remember what they have there? Oh, they also have that Art Museum. Maybe Mom dragged Sasuke there."_

As he walked to their meeting place at the park, he continued to receive stares from students that past him.

"Do you need something, Akari-san?" he asked politely as a freshman stared rudely.

The girl blushed and stepped away from the senior. "I'm sorry, Uchiha-kun. I didn't mean to be rude, but I was wondering if Sasuke-kun was still going to attend Konoha High School."

Itachi's eyes widened as the girl continued to speak as if he knew about the news. "I wanted to ask, but I thought it was a rumor and was really scared if it wasn't. I didn't want to pry into your family affairs."

He forced a smile on his face and placed his hand on the girl's shoulder. "It's fine, Akari-san. Don't worry about it, okay?"

The girl's face brightened and she bowed respectfully to her upperclassman. "Goodbye, Uchiha-kun!"

He waved until she turned away and immediately dashed over to his friends. What did she mean by 'still going to attend'? It doesn't make sense! His parents would have told him about this. Then again, Sasuke and Itachi haven't been very friendly to each other since Itachi's first year of high school. They barely spoke, causing their parents more worry than necessary, but their relationship couldn't be fixed.

"Hey, Itachi-kun," Kisame greeted.

Itachi nodded and sat down at the old, picnic table. "Now, let's begin the preparations for the Cultural Festival. What are the clubs' assets, Kakuzu-kun?"

As Kakuzu ran through the list of numbers, Itachi's eyes wandered around the park. He used to come here often as a child when Sasuke was still a baby. Although other kids would invite him to play, he would rather stick next to his mother and baby brother. He would beg her to let him hold Sasuke and became ecstatic when he was able to.

"Itachi? Itachi!" Kisame waved his hand in front of his face.

Itachi snapped out of his thoughts and turned back to his club members. "Yes, now which club has the lowest amount of money in their account?"

Kakuzu glanced at his list. "That would be a tie between the Martial Arts Club and the Sewing Club," he answered.

"What have the Martial Arts Club been spending on?" he asked.

"They had to buy new equipment and since they're hosting a tournament during the Cultural Festival they had to buy a few things here and there for the winners. It's not that bad, they spent their money responsibly and will most likely gain it back by the end of the year." Kakuzu explained.

"That's great. We know what the Martial Arts Club will be hosting during the festival has any other club sent requests?"

Sakura took out her list and read through the clubs. "The Art Club is requesting an art show-"

"Accepted."

"The Drama Club is requesting a spot at three o'clock to present a play-"

"Accepted."

She snickered at the next one. "The Archery Club plans on shooting apples over participators' heads."

"Kisame, can you please text the captain of the Archery Club that his request is denied?"

Kisame pulled out his phone. "Got it."

Sakura ran over the list and Itachi answered each with 'accepted' or 'denied'. He tried his best to pay attention, but he would often be lost in thought.

He ended the meeting, but grabbed Sakura by the shoulder. "You're in my brother's class," he stated.

Sakura cocked an eyebrow. "Yes, I am. Thank you for noticing, senpai."

He shook his head. "No, that's not really what I wanted to say. I wanted to know if maybe you know anything about him recently. It's summer break, but perhaps you could have heard about him transferring to another school? Or something like that."

Although she knew he was worried, his face hid his feelings very well. "I don't think so," she answered.

Itachi nodded and turned away from the girl. "Thanks for telling me, Sakura-san." He waved goodbye and headed off for home.

He found both cars in the driveway and walked through the door. "Hey, Itachi, ready for dinner? I'm making grilled fish, can you go wash your hands?" Mikoto announced as her son came through the kitchen.

Itachi pulled his mother into the hallway and whispered, "I heard today that Sasuke might be transferring out of Konoha High School - is that true?"

Mikoto sighed and leaned against the wall. She turned to face her eldest son and held a stern look. "This is Sasuke's decision Itachi; he chose to transfer. I would suggest keeping out of it, okay?"

She stepped away, but Itachi pulled her back again. "Where is he wanting to go?"

She was becoming flustered. "Oto Academy, but don't tell him that you found out from me, alright?" She walked back to the kitchen and continued fixing dinner.

Itachi ran to his room and pushed the small buttons on his cell phone.

"Sakura, this is Itachi. I know you've been in the same class as Sasuke since elementary and I need you to come over as soon as possible. Don't come through the front door, okay? Just text me when you're here." He hung up before she could speak and waited in his room until her arrival.

His phone vibrated and he knew it was time to meet her. He dashed down the hallway and out the front door. The sun was setting and he knew they didn't have much time to speak. He grabbed her wrist and dragged her to the backyard.

Sakura stood in front of the tall senior. "Why'd you want me here so late, senpai? What's so important?"

"Sasuke is transferring out of Konoha High School," he announced.

"So what you were talking about in the park?"

"Yeah." Itachi hid his face with the hood of his sweatshirt. "I called you because I need help."

Sakura bit her lip. "What kind of help?"

Itachi plopped down in the grass and sighed, "I can't talk to him, Sakura! I need you to convince him not to go to Oto Academy."

Sakura joined him on the grass and began picking a few blades from the ground. "I'm sorry, senpai, but he's your brother. Why should I talk to him? We barely speak to each other anyway."

His dark eyes glanced down at the freshman. "I just can't do it, Sakura."

"Do you really want him to stay in Konoha? Or are you just worried about your image if your brother goes to a different school?" she asked.

Itachi was surprised by her words. He grabbed her shoulders and growled, "Of course I want him here! How could you think I'd be so superficial to care what people think of my image?!" He immediately loosened his grasp and stepped away.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"It's alright, senpai. If you sincerely want Sasuke-kun to stay in Konoha, you'd have to speak to him yourself. It's the only way," she replied.

Itachi gave up. "I'll try, but I know this isn't going to work."

Sasuke continued writing from his desk. He barely heard a knock on his door and turned sharply in his chair.

"Come in," he called.

His demeanor changed immediately as his older brother walked through the doorway. "Hello Sasuke," Itachi said lightly.

Sasuke turned back to his writing. "What do you want? Are you going to interrogate me again?" he muttered.

Itachi closed the door behind him and sat down on the boy's bed. "No, I actually want to talk to you about your transfer."

He dropped the pencil in his hand and stood up from his chair. His eyes met with his brother's and each stared silently.

"It's none of your business what I do with my life, Itachi," he snapped.

"But it is my business! I want to know why you want to leave Konoha for some haughty academy. I care about you and don't want you to go," he argued.

Sasuke's gaze dropped to the floor. "You care about me?" he asked, quietly.

Itachi's face reddened with embarrassment and immediately built up his defenses again. "No, I didn't mean it like that. I mean -"

"Then get out, bastard!" Sasuke pushed his brother out. "You don't give a damn about how I feel!" He slammed the door.

Sakura sat patiently in their backyard and heard familiar footsteps walking closer. "How'd it go?"

"I screwed it up," he answered. "I got embarrassed about telling him I didn't want him to go."

"Senpai, hiding your feelings isn't right. Your relationship with Sasuke-kun isn't going to get better until you talk about what's bothering you. Tell him the truth. Tell him that you want him to stay." She stood up and brushed the pieces of grass from her lap.

"I've got to go. I hope you two work it out," she stated. Itachi ordered her to stay, but she ignored him.

"_I guess it is up to me_," he thought nervously.

The sun past over the horizon and Itachi sat silently until the moon rose high in the sky. He heard Sasuke's door slide open and footsteps going down the hallway. Itachi took action and followed the boy to the back door and out onto the steps.

"Why are you out here?" Sasuke asked, facing away and staring off into the dark sky.

Itachi took a seat next to him. "I really need to talk to you, Sasuke," he replied.

Sasuke leaned back on his hands. "Go ahead, let's see how well this turns out."

Itachi breathed in loudly and finally started, "Sasuke, why do you want to transfer so badly?"

"Why does it matter to you?"

"As your older brother, I deserve to know," Itachi responded.

Sasuke pounded his fist against the hard, stone steps. "There you go again! Just because you're my brother it doesn't mean that you have control of what I do!"

Itachi sighed and smiled weakly, "I'm sorry."

His words echoed in Sasuke's ears and the boy turned to face his brother. "Huh?"

"I'm sorry that I haven't been acting better towards you, Sasuke."

Sasuke regained his cool composure and crossed his arms. "Big deal, you haven't acted like yourself since you joined the Student Council. I've gotten used to your attitude since then."

Itachi became confused. "Then what's bothering you?"

The two haven't talked this much since they were young. As they spoke, most of their words came directly without thinking. Sasuke wasn't sure what his brother was doing, but if he was truly asking him how he felt, this was his time to do so.

"I want to live in a place where they don't know you or me! I'm tired of living in your shadow and only being known as 'Itachi's Little Brother'. I already know that Dad's waiting for you to take his spot on the Konoha Police Force... I could feel my stomach twist up when I heard it from his mouth. You even got on the Student Council - something I've always wanted to do."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he finished, "You get everything."

Itachi felt a sense of sadness envelop him. He always thought Sasuke was just a selfish brat, but realized all he wanted was to be himself.

"You know, I only got a spot on the Student Council because Shisui was president during my first year."

Sasuke brought his legs to his chest and rested his chin on his knees. "I didn't know that."

Itachi stood up and bent down in front of his brother. "Look, Sasuke, I'm sorry that it seems Mom and Dad are only paying attention to me. You're my little brother and I want our relationship to be what it used to be."

"So do I, but I can't imagine us being like that again."

"What can I do to prove I'm willing to try and change that?"

Sasuke stood up and walked to the door. "Give me your spot as President of the Student Council."

Itachi sighed helplessly, "You know I can't do that."

Sasuke grabbed the handle of the door and stomped his foot. "Then just give me a spot on the Council! If Shisui was able to do that then you can too!"

"That was a time when the club didn't have a restriction. All the seats are filled," Itachi explained.

As Sasuke thought, Itachi stood impatiently. "Give me Sakura's job or I'll leave by next semester."

Itachi knew this was a hard bargain, but couldn't accept his brother leaving. "You can substitute for her for the next meeting and we'll discuss a permanent replacement afterwards."

"Fine, but you can't tell Sakura until after my time as her substitution." Sasuke slid open the door and left to his room.

Itachi sat back down on the steps and held his head in his hands. "Dammit, what the hell have I done?"


	13. Brothers

He wanted to call her, but he couldn't. He wanted to apologize, but he had no idea what words to say. He wanted to smack his head against the wall, but he wasn't near a wall at that moment.

Itachi walked Sasuke to the park and informed him of his new peers. "Kisame is the Vice President, Sasori and Hidan are Committee Representatives, Kakuzu is the Treasurer, and Deidara is the Secretary."

"What do Hidan and Sasori do?" his younger brother asked.

"As representatives, they are needed for the Student Council to discuss changes with the School Board. Hidan's big mouth and determined personality is an excellent choice while Sasori's decisiveness is needed when making very important decisions. He takes his time and thinks carefully."

Sasuke continued to walk silently, but wondered what his position would be like. "What do I do?"

Itachi turned to him. "As the name suggests, you will be the face of the Student Council. That means you will be speaking to other students, like I do, but with the objective to show how friendly and open the Student Council is and try to bring new members in."

Sasuke stopped walking and stared up at his brother with an irritated expression. "I have to talk to other kids?"

"And be polite and friendly to them as well," Itachi added.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and ran to catch up to his brother. He wasn't known to be a social butterfly, but talking to people for short moments shouldn't be terribly bothersome.

They reached the familiar picnic table and the two took their seats. The other boys stared at Sasuke confused, but didn't speak out any questions to their president.

"Alright, to get things started, does anyone need a drink or snack?" Itachi asked.

"I could go for a soda," Hidan stated.

"Me too," Deidara and Sasori added.

"I want some chips," Kisame chimed in.

Itachi turned to Sasuke and handed him his wallet. "As Mascot, you run the errands for the club."

Sasuke frowned, "But why? Deidara is the secretary, isn't he supposed to run errands and things such as this?"

Deidara laughed at the freshman, "My job as Secretary is to simply check up on clubs and file paperwork."

The dark-haired boy wasn't happy, but obeyed his brother's order. As he left, the other club members leaned toward their president.

"What the fuck's going on here? Where is Cherry-chan at, Itachi?" Hidan hissed.

"There's not much I can say at the moment, everyone. Please wait until tomorrow and I'll explain it right away," he answered.

Kakuzu leaned forward. "Don't tell me he has a permanent spot on the Student Council now."

Itachi felt helpless, but continued his emotionless façade. "Be patient. This is only a substitution. There will be answers soon, I promise."

The group settled down as the boy walked back to the group. Sasuke juggled the bottles of soda and the snacks with his arms and placed them on the table.

"Can we please get down to business now? What are we supposed to do for the day?" he asked, excited for the plans.

"Today, we will be discussing a way to raise money for our own club for the Cultural Festival," Itachi announced.

Sasuke raised his hand and Itachi allowed the boy to speak. "I'm sorry, but isn't Sports Day something to be focusing on much earlier? We have to make notices to parents and list off the equipment we need and make the decisions on what day to put it on, right? Cultural Festival is something very easily maintained so why waste time on it - especially since it's weeks away."

"We've already finished the list for Sports Day, Sasuke. Cultural Festivals are a way to pull other students from different schools into our own. If our Cultural Festival is a hit, we could perhaps gain more students next year and Konoha's funds will increase - meaning more money for clubs."

Sasuke sunk into his chair and sat silently as they discussed their plans. He never knew how much planning went into things such as a boring Cultural Festival, but being the Student Council's president must put a lot of weight on his brother's shoulders.

"If we're trying to raise money, why don't we try the bake sale again?" Deidara suggested.

Kisame turned to Sasuke. "Yeah, but can he bake anything?"

Each member faced him, awaiting his answer. Sasuke sat up. "I can bake a few things. I can make cake, pie, cookies..." He tried to remember what other kinds of sweets there were.

"I don't think a bake sale is necessary," Itachi objected.

"We should do something that involves other students - something they'll really enjoy," Sasori stated.

Kakuzu decided to voice his thoughts. "How about a human auction?"

"Human auction?" Sasuke repeated.

"A human auction... Where we bring the members of the Student Council on a stage and people will bid on each one of you. You'll do what they say for the entire day without much refusal. We'll start bidding at fifty and work our way up from there."

Itachi looked around the picnic table. Each boy held an unsure look on their faces, but he knew it was something that would draw a great amount of attention. "I think we should try it," he announced.

"You've got to be kidding me," Sasuke muttered.

"Is something wrong?" Itachi asked, noticing his irritated, younger brother.

"I just don't understand why you all do such juvenile things! You're the Student Council, the most powerful students in school, yet you act as if it's all just a game. Have you all lost your minds or do you really not want to make a difference at this school?"

Itachi stood up and slammed his hands on the table. "Do you really think the Student Council has that much power, Sasuke? We're not the Board of Education, we can't decide upon everything. We choose what we think is best for the students so they can enjoy their time at Konoha High School. Sure, there are times when we have to discuss important matters to the faculty or the principal, but it's not as often as you think. We don't decide upon expulsion or punishments. Please, for everyone's sake, get your head out of the clouds and stop acting so naïve for once."

Sasuke remained silent. All he wanted was to voice out his thoughts, but they continued to be ignored or shot down.

"Instead of a human auction, can't you choose something more appropriate?" he asked.

Itachi was becoming irritated, but tried to give him another chance. "What do you have in mind?"

Sasuke pulled out a notebook from his backpack and flipped through the pages. "Well, last night, I wrote down a few ideas..." He continued to flip through the pages until he reached his list.

"For fundraising, we could tutor elementary students. By doing this, we'll show them that high school students from Konoha High School are kind and intelligent. Also, we could create a carwash, showing everyone in town how hardworking the Student Council is. I've also got some great ideas about dealing with clubs-"

Itachi raised his hand. "Sasuke, I'll listen to your ideas, but please just keep it at fundraising," he interjected.

"But I can help!"

"You're not the president, Sasuke! Stop pretending like you are!" Itachi snapped.

Sasuke snatched up his notebook and threw it in his backpack. "Fine, I didn't want to be part of this stupid club anyway!" He ran out of the park and back to his home.

Itachi relaxed in the seat, but felt six pairs of eyes on him. "What is it?"

"You should try talking to him, Itachi-kun," Kisame said, shifting uncomfortably in the wooden seat.

Itachi groaned loudly and stepped away from the picnic table. He faced away from his friends, but spoke sadly. "I know that I majorly screwed up, guys. When I go home, I know he'll have already decided."

Itachi arrived home, yet again, to an empty house. He pulled his sneakers off at the door and walked to the kitchen for a drink. He wasn't surprised to see another note taped to the refrigerator.

"_Itachi,_

We're heading to Oto for Sasuke's admission next semester. There's some dinner in the fridge that you can heat up in the microwave. We won't be back until tomorrow morning.

Love you,

Mom."

He sighed and viciously ripped apart the notebook paper. He threw the shredded pieces on the floor and banged his fists against the wall. His entire body was shaking and his knuckles were red and aching due to the beating. This was his fault and the anger he felt was _unimaginable._

He turned toward the fridge again and noticed another note. Itachi pulled off the note and realized it was Sasuke's writing.

"Hey,

There are two reasons I'm leaving Konoha High School. 1) I want to be my own person. I don't want to live in your shadow for the rest of my high school life. 2) It would be best if we weren't around each other as much.

Let's face it Itachi - we don't get along like brothers should. I can't really say that I hate you, but I know that we'll have a better chance if we take time away from each other.

Don't get mad that I'm going to Oto Academy. I really like the school and it seems that the headmaster already approves of me and my skills.

We'll meet again,

Sasuke."

Instead of tearing it or destroying it, Itachi folded the note and placed it in his pocket. As much as he didn't want to agree with him, he knew Sasuke was right.

"_If Sasuke is happy then I'll try my best to be happy too_," he thought, staring at the family portrait on the refrigerator.

Vibrations were felt in his pocket. Itachi pulled out his phone and answered the call. "Yes?"

"It's Kisame. I've got the guys over here and was wondering if you wanted to hang out too."

Itachi opened the fridge and pulled out the chilled food. "Is this hangout because you all want to know Sakura-san's status is on the Council?" A short moment of silence was on the other line, but Itachi could hear a strong 'yes' from Hidan.

"We'd like to know," Kisame answered.

He placed the food in the microwave and set the time. "You don't have to worry. Sasuke has decided to transfer." He could hear a few cheers on the other end; probably Deidara and Hidan.

"Are you okay?" Kisame asked, concerned.

Itachi waited patiently and decided to go back to the family portrait. He stared at his younger sel and then to Sasuke.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. You know what though?"

Kisame's voice was curious. "What?"

"I will come to hang out tonight. I need some time with friends."

Friends... People that were always there for him. Itachi finally understood that although he may not get along with them, they continued to remain loyal no matter what.

"I guess they are brothers to me in some way too," he chuckled.


	14. The Auction

"Alright, you may all leave for lunch," Hayate-sensei announced through a coughing fit.

Itachi grabbed his bento and walked to the Student Council room. As he reached for the door, a blonde student ran into him and yanked him by the arm.

"Itachi, sir, I need your help!" Her shrieking voice rang in his ears.

He looked down at the scattered remains of his bento on the floor. "You made me drop my lunch," he stated.

"I'm sorry, but I really need to request something from you!"

"Club hours are after school. Wait until then, Yamanaka-san."

Ino shook her head fiercely and frowned at the senior. "Please, Itachi-kun, I really need to speak with you! You don't want me to call upon Pein-sensei, do you?"

Itachi glared angrily, but sighed in defeat. He motioned the girl into the Student Council's room and let her take the seat next to him.

"What is she doing here again?" Deidara asked, annoyed.

"Hi, Ino-chan, what are you doing here at lunch?" Sakura asked, cheerfully.

Ino filed through her backpack and picked up a pile of papers. "I hate to say it again, but I'm asking you for more help with fundraising."

"Impossible. I checked the Sewing Club's finances and they are perfectly fine," Kakuzu objected.

"This isn't for the Sewing Club, but for our stall during the Cultural Festival. We've finished all of our clothes and we plan on joining a stall with the Drama Club for their play."

"Your point?" Kakuzu asked.

"We want our own stall too. We made our own clothing and also made clothes for the Drama Club, but we put in a large share of money into the Drama Club. We only need a little cash and then you can have the rest. Please help us one, last time, President Itachi!" She fell to her knees and clasped her hands together.

"You must have taken some lessons in the Drama Club as well. I'll tell you what, we'll do our own fundraising to help prepare our own stall and we'll give you the remaining money, okay?" Itachi answered.

Ino stood up and shook his hand roughly. "Thank you so much, Itachi-kun! We won't need a lot of money just around eighty dollars for a table and a few decorations." She walked to the door and thanked him again before leaving.

"So are we going to do the human auction thing you decided for our own fundraising?" Kisame asked.

Itachi nodded his head. "Yes, and the people that will be auctioning themselves off are: Myself, Deidara, Sasori, Hidan and Sakura. Kakuzu will handle the money while Kisame runs the function. Are we clear?"

Kisame and Kakuzu sighed in relief, but the others protested against his choice.

"I'm not one of those people who like standing up in front of everyone," Sasori admitted.

"Then pretend to be one of those people," Itachi argued.

"What if some creepy girl or guy buys us for weird stuff?!" Deidara asked.

"I'll assure you that no-one will buy you for such reasons," Itachi assured.

Sakura stood up and blushed. "Senpai, why do I have to do it?"

"Just because you're a girl doesn't mean you can't participate," Itachi replied.

She sat back down in her chair. Joining this club was quite bittersweet at times.

"Gather 'round everyone! Faculty members, are you tired of grading papers or cleaning up after annoying, messy students? Why not bid on one of these wonderful members of the Student Council for your assistant or janitorial needs? Konoha students, want to win a date or have a personal assistant that will do all your tasks for a day? Go on ahead and bid on these wonderful students on the Council!" Kisame announced, in his best spokesperson voice.

He guided Itachi to the front and many schoolgirls squealed in delight. "Here we have Itachi Uchiha. Itachi is quite the heartthrob of the school and is willing to go on a date with any girl who bids the most on him! The beginning price will start at fifty dollars!"

Kisame leaned over to Itachi and whispered quietly, "Now bidding may be slow at first, but don't-"

100! 150! 300!

FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS!

"Five hundred dollars going once... twice... sold!"

A senior girl wearing an expensive brooch on her collar walked up to the stage. "Thank you, Kisame Hoshigaki," she said, politely.

Itachi wanted to groan and squirm, but calmly presented his hand to her. "Hello, Ayame Ichiraku. It's not a surprise you bid the highest due to your father owning the most popular diner in Konoha."

She smirked and shook his hand. "Very true, Itachi-kun. Please, let's walk." The two stepped down the steps of the stage and exited the fundraiser.

Kakuzu sifted through the bills. "Very nice for the first bid. Let's see how well the others do," he said, amused.

Kisame presented Deidara next. "Second, is our dear secretary, Deidara. He's a very organized, young man and loves to spend time sculpting! Like with each bid, we'll start with fifty dollars!"

A pale hand raised through the crowd. "Two hundred and fifty dollars," the voice called out.

Deidara smirked. "_Ha! Two hundred and fifty on the first bet - this girl obviously has a thing for me._"

"Sold for two-fifty! Please step up and grab your prize," Kisame called.

Deidara's jaw dropped as the junior art student they picked on while finding Tobi climbed up the stairs. He smiled politely and handed Kakuzu the money.

"What are you doing here?!" Deidara freaked.

Sai smiled again and held out his hand to the disturbed blonde. "I'm Sai and I really love drawing, but I'm bad at sculpting and wouldn't mind having a tutor," he explained.

Deidara unwillingly grabbed the boy's hand and was guided off the stage with rosey cheeks. As he left the event, he could hear snickers and laughter from teachers and students.

Kisame dragged Sasori to the stage and placed him in the center. "This wonderful junior is Sasori! He's a quiet boy who is very smart and precise. He is also very poetic and romantic for any single ladies out there," Kisame described.

Sasori slapped Kisame's wrist and scowled, "Those are all lies! How could you say that?"

"Well, there's not much else about you unless I say you're an asshole at times," Kisame replied with a shrug.

Sasori rolled his eyes and waited while a few bidders increased the amount.

"Three hundred and eighty-five dollars!" a shrill voice called out. No other bidders dared to go past the amount and Kisame finalized the bid.

Sasori's eyes widened as the young girl he pretended to seduce at the beach walked up to him. "Eh, Ino, was it?" he asked, nervously.

"Yeah, Ino Yamanaka! And, since you flaked on me before, I'll make sure we go on a date now!" she growled, pulling him off the stage by the front of his shirt.

Hidan stepped onto the stage and proudly introduced himself. "I'm Hidan and I know you all think I'm drop-dead gorgeous, so, how about I just pick one of you instead?"

Anko-sensei raised her hand. "I'll buy him for fifty-one dollars and make him do some chores," she declared.

Kisame waited for any more bids, but knew no others would call. "Sold to Anko-sensei."

"What?! Fifty-one dollars! You've got to be-" Anko interrupted Hidan's surprised yelp by placing her arm around his shoulders.

"This'll be great, Hidan! You can unclog my shower drain for me!" She pulled the poor, silver-haired boy off the stage and back to the parking lot.

Kakuzu shook his head, "Moron." He turned to see a reluctant Sakura standing near the edge of the stage.

"It's your turn now," he stated, pushing her towards Kisame.

"Are you sure? I think I hear my mom calling me," she squeaked.

"It's for the Cultural Festival, Sakura-chan, just stay calm," he advised, finally coaxing her toward Kisame.

"Last, but certainly not least, is freshman Sakura Haruno. Sakura is the mascot of the Student Council and is very friendly to everyone she meets. Her father is Kizashi Haruno, the former captain of the Basketball Club! Bidding starts at the original price mentioned."

Sakura began loosening up as a few students bidded for her. As the amount reached over two-hundred, a hand in the back of the crowd raised up. "Two-sixty, please!" a man's voice called.

Some of the bidders turned to the voice and were suprised to see a teacher raising their hand. The bidders continued on, but the teacher's hand continued to raise.

"Three hundred going once... twice... Sold to Mizuki-sensei!"

Mizuki walked up the steps with a friendly smile on his face. "Hey, I'm Mizuki-sensei. I teach Chemistry to the seniors."

Sakura sighed in relief that her winning bidder was a teacher. "Nice to meet you, Mizuki-sensei. So, what do you want me to do for you?"

He patted her shoulder. "Just follow me and I'll explain on the way, okay?" She felt his hand brush against her bottom, but accepted it as an accident in her mind.

"We'll go out to eat at the Ichiraku Diner. Then afterwards, we can go for a walk along the river," Ino babbled on.

Sasori would nod his head occasionally and pretend to hear her as they walked along. It was fifteen minutes later that he realized Ino had lead him inside the restaurant.

She slyly opened up her buttoned blouse and leaned over the table. Sasori caught sight of her exposed cleavage and sharply turned his eyes to another location. He didn't like her. She looked too similiar to Deidara and that creeped him out enough.

"You're quite forward with your advances," he stated.

Ino laughed, "A girl has got to work with what she's got."

A waitor walked over to them with a pad of paper and a pen. "Welcome to Ichiraku Diner! What may I serve this lovely couple?"

"We're not a couple," Sasori interjected quickly. He turned to face Ino and added, "We're just friends." The waitor raised his eyebrows and excused himself to help another table; he didn't want to deal with any awkward situations yet.

Sasori turned away from Ino and tried his best to avoid her until the waitor returned to ask again for their meals.

"I'll have the Soybean Soup," he said, handing him the menu.

"Ginger Chicken, please."

The waitor grabbed both menus and placed them under his arm as he wrote down their orders. He informed them it would take time for their food to be prepared and left the two alone.

Sasori played with his chopsticks and continually picked up his napkin and set it back down. He glanced at the blonde and noticed her staring at him.

"Yes?" he asked.

"You're just so cute with that red hair of yours," she stated cutely.

Sasori blushed. "It's just red hair - it's not that big of a deal."

She leaned forward and ran her fingers through his hair. He pushed her hand away, "Please, don't touch my hair. I like it messy."

"I bought you for three hundred and eighty-five dollars! Either you act like a proper boyfriend or goddammit I'll punch your lights out," she hissed under her breath.

Sasori slouched in his chair and waited for the food to come. He hated waiting.

After their dinner and walk alongside the river, Sasori walked Ino to her home. He was surprised by how large it was.

"It's nice, right? My mom owns a flower shop and a wedding planning service while my dad works for a telecommunication company - I'm pretty rich," she exclaimed proudly.

He nodded his head and finally waited at her door. "Thanks for walking me home," she giggled.

"It's no problem, Ino-san," he replied.

Ino closed her eyes and pressed her lips against his. Panicking, Sasori quickly pushed the girl away and stared wildly at her. "What are you doing?!" he sputtered out.

"I kissed you! What's wrong with you?!" she yelled.

Sasori's heart was racing. "I don't like you _that_ way, Ino. I-"

Ino interrupted before he could reply further. "What is it about Sakura that you like so much?" she blurted.

"What?! I don't like her! She's a friend, that's all," he argued.

Ino grabbed his shoulders. "Then kiss me, Sasori-kun," she purred.

"Enough! This is ridiculous! I'm going home." He pushed her away one, final time and walked onto the sidewalk.

"She's nothing, Sasori! She's not pretty or smart! She doesn't deserve anyone as good-looking as anyone on the Student Council!" She stomped into her house and slammed the door shut.

Sakura and Mizuki reached the empty chemistry lab. The silver-haired teacher flipped on the lights and guided her to a table filled with glass vials and flasks.

"I need you to help me pour some solubles in each of the flasks. Exactly four ounces in each one. You can do that, right?" His dark, green eyes settled on her.

Sakura smiled. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

He nodded and brought out the bottles of soluble liquids and handed them to her. "My students will be doing a lab tomorrow and I want to get everything ready," he explained while helping her by pouring in some vials.

She noticed the deep concentration in his eyes as he continued to pour. He had a very handome, young face for a teacher and she was sure that he had many admirers from his female students. As she continued to stare, she began to accidentally spill the liquid onto the table.

Mizuki's alerted yell surprised her and brought her back into reality. "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry, Mizuki-sensei," she babbled.

He chuckled and grabbed a few paper towels to clean up the spill. He surrounded his body around hers and dabbed up the mess. "You've got to be more careful," he whispered.

Heat rose to her cheeks and her heart was pounding against her chest. This was obviously her naive mind thinking such thoughts. As if Mizuki-sensei, a teacher at the school, could really think of her in such a romantic way.

She let out a yelp of surprise as he fingered the hem of her skirt. He shushed her and raised it up slightly to place his hand on her bottom.

"You've got to be quiet," he whispered against her earlobe.

A lump formed in her throat as he continued to grip his hands around her small frame. What was happening? Everything seemed to be moving so fast and she could feel her legs shaking in panic. She had yet to be even kissed by a boy, but at this moment a grown man was touching her body in a way she wasn't comfortable with.

"You're so beautiful," he mumbled as he pulled up her skirt.

"Mizuki-sensei, stop!" she yelled as he exposed her underwear.

He ignored her pleas and continued to rub his hands on her soft legs. He tried to pick her up and place her on the table, but Sakura took that chance and pushed him as hard as she could. He stumbled backward into a row of desks and fell. Sakura ran out of the room and was gasping for air as tears streamed down her face.

She ran down the hallway as Mizuki called her name from the chemistry lab. She had no idea what was going on, but if this entire day was a dream, she wanted to wake up immediately. As she exited the school, she received stares from people on the street, but she didn't notice them.

Sakura finally reached her home and locked the door behind her. She looked in each room for her parents, but neither one was home. She climbed up the stairs and locked herself in her room. This was a terrible day and the way she felt at that moment was indescribable. She unlocked her door and ran to the bathroom. Her stomach was lurching from the intense stress she was feeling and pushed back up her throat and out of her mouth. Tears filled her eyes as she continued to vomit.

Her stomach emptied all of its contents and she laid down onto the linoleum floor. She felt humiliated and stupid - as if the whole world was out to get her for some reason. Was she being tested? Was her life just a joke for everyone to laugh at? Right now, her mind was full of hopeless, stupid thoughts and she never wanted to get off the floor.

She jumped as the phone in her pocket vibrated. Itachi's name was on the ID, but she threw the phone a few feet away from her and let her voicemail take it. This time, she just wanted nothing to do with the world.

Nothing to do with anyone.

She wanted to be alone.


	15. The New Sakura

Sakura stayed away from school for three days until she finally returned. Her club members were concerned, but they were unable to reach her. When they had walked to her home, Mebuki insisted they stay away due to Sakura being very ill.

"You think she'll come to school today?" Hidan asked Itachi as they sat in their usual spot before class started.

"I'm not sure. I didn't see her on my way here, but you never know," he replied.

Hidan leaned over the window and stared off into the street below. "She must really be sick if she's been gone for over three days... I hope I don't get sick - that'll fuckin' suck."

Itachi continued to twirl his pen around his fingers. He was disappointed that he couldn't tell her how much money they had made. He wished she could have joined in on the discussion of what they could do at their stall for the festival.

"Oh, shit! There she is," Hidan howled, pointing to the sidewalk leading to the school.

The other boys raced over to the window and saw the pinkette walking with her books held against her chest.

"She'll be late if she doesn't speed up," Kakuzu noted.

Hidan began walking to the door. "We should go talk to her," he hollered.

Itachi grabbed the collar of his shirt and shook his head. "She just returned to school after being sick, Hidan. Let's just wait until lunchtime to talk to her, okay?"

Hidan growled, but returned back to his seat - he just wanted to see his Cherry-chan.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, where have you been the past couple days?" Ino asked, curious.

Sakura continued to write down notes. "I haven't been feeling well," she lied.

Ino scrunched up her nose. "I bet your boyfriends are worried about you," she sneered.

The bell rang and Sakura stood from her desk. She grabbed her bento and walked towards the Student Council room. She could hear the bitterness in Ino's voice, yet she did nothing about it - she is just a joke to everyone.

She slid open the door and put on her best smile. "Hey, everyone," she greeted.

"Cherry-chan! How the hell are you feeling?" Hidan chortled.

Sakura sat down and opened her lunch. "I'm feeling very well today, thanks. So, what did I miss these past days?"

Itachi explained, "Well, we decided what we are going to do for the Cultural Festival. Most clubs are doing something that includes their club - obviously. So we decided to open a small cafe."

"What does that have to do with the Student Council?" Sakura asked, playing with the cherry tomato in her bento.

"I'm happy you asked, Sakura-san. We will be given the roles that are best suited to our own on the Student Council. Kisame and myself will be coordinating the event. Sasori and Hidan will be the hosts - guiding people to their tables. Kakuzu will set prices and take in the money. Deidara will be cleaning up while also cooking with Kisame and I-"

"And I'll be the waitress," she finished.

Itachi blinked. "Why... yes, Sakura-san. We wanted you to pick out your uniform since we didn't know what you'd prefer. We'll be using the Council's funds for the stall, of course, so pick one you really like." He presented her with a catalog filled with stereotypical maid outfits or diner girl costumes.

Before she could look through, a knock came from beyond the door. Itachi slid the door open. "Oh, Mizuki-sensei, what do you need?"

"I just need to borrow Sakura for a moment," he replied, a smile on his face.

Itachi turned to Sakura and waited as she stood up and met with Mizuki. Her face was stoney and unreadable - she didn't look like Sakura. Itachi sat back down. "Who was Sakura-san auctioned off to?" Itachi asked Kakuzu.

"The teacher you just saw - Mizuki-sensei. He paid three hundred dollars for her," Kakuzu answered.

"Mizuki-sensei is an awesome chemistry teacher. He's probably just trying to promote his class to students with high science grades," Kisame claimed. Itachi nodded - it made sense. Mizuki-sensei was always funny and made his students happy.

Mizuki led Sakura to the chemistry lab and locked the door. "Damn, where have you been?" he asked, walking toward her.

"What do you want with me, Mizuki-sensei?" she asked, backing away.

He only smiled and pushed her up against the wall. His large hands held her face lightly. "It's because you're just so perfect, Sakura."

She pushed his hands away and snapped at the teacher, "You don't even know me!"

"Sakura, honestly, I'm only a few years older than Itachi. It'll be fine if you just _get_ to know me - I'm a good guy."

"A 'good guy' wouldn't try to touch a girl before he even asks her permission," she countered.

Mizuki was a charmer, but he knew too well where this situation was going. "I'm sorry, okay? I just got overwhelmed and I shouldn't have acted like such a-"

"Pig? Asshole? Pervert?" she guessed.

"Yeah, all three, I guess," he answered. He shot her a boyish grin and ran his fingers through his hair. "How about you let me make it up to you?"

"I don't need anything from you," she stated coldly. She stepped toward the door and tried her best to slide it open.

"Sucks, doesn't it? When a door lacks an appropriate lock?" He held up the ring of keys to the room and jostled them above her head. She tried to snatch them, but the man was too fast.

"I'll scream," she threatened.

"No, you won't," he argued. She opened her mouth, but her scream was muffled by a firm hand covering her lips.

"Alright, but let me sneak in one kiss, okay?" He leaned forward and became startled as the door began to rattle.

"I think I left my books in here. Why is it locked?" Pein's voice rang through both of their ears.

Pein was surprised to see the door slide open from the inside and his fellow colleague walk out of the room. "Sorry, are these your books, Pein?" Mizuki asked, holding up a few teaching booklets.

"Yeah, but I think I left my phone in there too." Pein tried going past the chemistry teacher, but Mizuki blocked his path.

"I've been in here for a while, Pein. There is no phone in here," he replied.

Pein patted his pockets and smiled, embarrassed. "Damn, next time I'll check my pockets. Sorry, about that Mizuki." He turned away and walked down the hallway.

Pein suddenly slapped his palm to his forehead. "Where's my freakin' head? I forgot my books," he said aloud to himself.

His ringed eyes widened as he watched Mizuki lead Sakura out of the room. Pein stomped over after Sakura scurried away and pulled Mizuki into the same room.

"What the hell was Sakura Haruno doing in here?" Pein pressed his body against the door.

Mizuki laughed and shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about, Pein. You're obviously seeing things because Miss Haruno wasn't in this room."

Pein grabbed the scruff of his shirt. "Do you think I'm fucking blind? Now, answer my damn question!"

"Nothing's going on. Let go of me before I talk to the principal about your behavior!" Mizuki growled.

Pein released him and quickly made his way back to the club's room. Itachi noticed the distress on Pein's face. "What's wrong, sensei?"

"Nothing... just nothing," he said quietly. Itachi shrugged it off and continued to eat his food.

Sakura walked through the door and joined the group again. She could feel Pein's eyes on her, yet she ignored him. She was constantly being heckled to pick a dress and finally gave in.

"Fine, I'll pick this salmon-colored one," she decided, pointing to a ruffled, girly dress.

She rolled her eyes as the boys gave her voices of approval. Typical, men always wanting to parade women around, but what could she do? She was the Mascot of the Student Council and that's how she was going to be treated.

"That dress will look really nice, Sakura-san," Itachi noted.

Sakura nodded her head and pushed the catalog aside to continue eating. As she ate, her anger would rise and lower as thoughts roamed freely in her head. How can they be so happy? They don't even know what's happening - what jerks! She began stabbing the cherry tomato with her chopstick until it was red mush. It was only a few seconds later that she noticed the group staring at her.

"Don't like cherry tomatoes?" Kakuzu asked.

The bell rang and she picked up her barely eaten bento. She stared down at the red mess that was once the tomato and threw the entire case into the garbage. Her feet slugged through the hallways and she jumped when a hand fell on her shoulder.

"Hey, so what did Mizuki-sensei want with you?" Itachi asked.

She finally had a chance to tell someone. "Oh, he..." But who would really believe such a stupid girl?

"He knew I had high scores in my science classes and wanted to make sure I enrolled in his class senior year," she lied through a tight smile.

"Yeah, that's actually what Kisame-kun said too. You'd think he'd start it in your junior year, don't you think?" Itachi stayed outside her room.

"Yeah, well, you've got to start somewhere, right?" She waved goodbye and entered her classroom.

During each lecture, she just couldn't concentrate. She had a quiz in Biology, but she just couldn't focus; she knew she failed from the minute they were handed the paper.

Itachi noticed Sakura at the lockers and walked over. "Can I walk with you home?" he asked.

"Sure, senpai," she answered.

The walk home wasn't very similar to past ones. She didn't act giddy or talk much. She was quiet and aloof.

"Are you still not feeling well?" he asked.

"No, I feel fine."

He pulled her by the shoulder to face him. "Please, tell me what's wrong, Sakura-san." His eyes focused solely on hers.

"I'm just upset that I failed a quiz today."

Itachi could see her eyes shift away from his as she lied. "Why can't you tell me the truth?"

Suddenly, a man on a bike pedaled past them and caused Itachi to jerk his arms instinctively around Sakura. She could feel his arms surround her waist and his hands push against her shoulder blades.

"What are you doing? Get off of me! Get off!" She screamed as she twisted her body away from the Uchiha.

"Stop screaming! Why are you freaking out so much?"

She pushed the senior away and ran back to her house. She wasn't going to be overpowered again. Not anymore. Her speed rose as she heard footsteps racing behind her.

"Sakura! What the hell's going on with you?!" Itachi called out.

She opened the door to her home, but Itachi caught her wrist before she could shut the door. "Get out of my house, Itachi! Get the hell away from me and don't touch me!" she cried. He was surprised he heard his name from her mouth; it was always 'senpai'.

"I'm not going to hurt you!"

He wrapped his arms around her and was shocked to feel her entire body shaking. She fell to her knees and Itachi crouched down around her. Her eyes were shut tight, but tears continued to escape and roll down her cheeks. Her sobs were broken and loud.

"Why me? Why me? Why me!" she sobbed loudly.

"What are you talking about? What about you?" he asked with a soft, calm voice.

"Please don't touch me, Itachi," she cried out again.

"Tell me what I did wrong, Sakura-san, please tell me," he begged, pushing his face in her messy, pink hair.

"You wouldn't understand! You're a stupid boy!" she yelled.

Itachi tightened his grip on her. "I'm not letting you go until you tell me what's wrong!"

"Mizuki-sensei!" she finally yelled out.

He still didn't understand. "What about him?"

Sakura was becoming frustrated. "God, you _are_ just a stupid boy, aren't you?! Forget what I said and just get out of here!"

Then, it happened. The reason behind her behavior and Mizuki-sensei's sudden appearance. What the fuck did he do? Itachi turned her around and gripped her shoulders so tightly that she screamed out.

"What did he do? Did he hurt you? Did he touch you?" His eyes were wild and fierce.

"He had his hands all over me! What the _fuck_ do you think?" she cursed.

Itachi stood up and opened the door. "I'm going to go tell my father."

"No, don't!" She rushed over to the door and shut it immediately.

"This isn't something you want to keep secret, Sakura-san! I'm not going to stand around and do nothing," he argued, trying to push her away.

A loud smack echoed inside her house as she slapped her hand against his face. His cheek was red, but his face showed no surprise.

"If it would have happened to you, you would have been humiliated! Would you really want to tell someone about such a thing?! I don't need your help!"

"If I was ever in the same situation as you were in... I would tell someone as soon as it happened, Sakura-san. You know that keeping it a secret won't cause it to stop and how dare you think you could handle it all by yourself... When you were just over there a few minutes ago crying your eyes out? I'm your friend just as Kisame, Hidan, Kakuzu, Sasori, and Deidara are. Please, don't shut us out when you need us most."

She glanced from his eyes to his reddened cheek. She was scared and humiliated, but he was right about one thing. Without calling out for help, this harassment would continue and could escalate very quickly to violence.

"I'll do it, but I'm the one that speaks, not you," she stated calmly.

Itachi sighed in relief and guided her out the door. "Thank you, Sakura-_chan_."

"Mizuki? That's impossible," Tsunade sat at her desk as she listened to Fugaku.

Fugaku stood next to Sakura. "This is a serious allegation, Tsunade-sama. I've already taken Sakura in for an interview-"

"Where are your parents?" Tsunade asked.

"They're gone all day to visit one of our sick relatives," Sakura answered.

Fugaku stepped in once more. "I've already notified them and they're coming home as soon as they can."

He handed her the files with written comments from Sakura. Tsunade read through them and gave a heavy sigh. "All we have are words though. Do you have any real proof? Did you do a full examination?"

"Yes, we took her to the hospital. The report is in with the others," Fugaku stated, pointing to the papers.

Tsunade's eyes glanced over the words and then back to Fugaku. "Has anyone seen this happen?"

"Yes, there was me," a low-toned voice called through the door. Pein knocked only once and opened the door.

"Please, elaborate."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama. Today, during lunch, I had forgotten my books in the chemistry lab and had walked back to the room. To my surprise, the door was locked, so I was going to go to the janitor to help. I was about to leave, but Mizuki opened the door and had my books in his hand. When I left, my thoughts were elsewhere and I had totally forgotten to take my books. I turned around to get them from him and that's when I saw Sakura Haruno exiting the room that Mizuki was just in."

"Fugaku, can you bring Mizuki in?" Tsunade asked.

Fugaku nodded his head and walked out of the door to meet Mizuki at his home. When he returned, Mizuki and Fugaku walked through the door and the chemistry teacher took a seat.

"What is it, Tsunade-sama?" Mizuki asked, glancing once at the freshman.

Tsunade removed her reading glasses and set them on her desk. "I've just received news from the police about an accusation dealing with an underaged girl. Mizuki, please tell me that this is a misunderstanding."

Mizuki opened his mouth and scoffed, "Please, Tsunade-sama, you must know that this is ridiculous! I would never do something that would cost me my job!"

"Yeah, well, maybe you didn't think it would," Sakura muttered.

Mizuki glared angrily at the girl. "I'm innocent, Tsunade-sama. This is an outrage that will cost me my reputation!"

"If you're so innocent then why don't you explain yourself? Why did you bid for her at the fundraiser?" Pein asked.

"I needed help with the chemistry lab. My students were doing a lab exam the next day and I needed to fill all the beakers. It was nice to have some help while doing it," he replied.

Fugaku stood near the man. "That's when you began harassing Sakura Haruno."

"I didn't harass her. She's obviously in a state of delusion and is desperate for attention," he lied without thought.

Sakura's eyes widened as he continued his lies. "She clearly has a crush on me. But myself, being a mature adult, wanted no part of this drama."

She lifted herself from the seat and shouted, "You liar! You tried taking advantage of me! He touched me and tried doing worse than that! He's a sick and twisted man!"

The adults turned to Mizuki. He shook his head and chuckled fiendishly. "What a foolish girl you are..."

"Then explain why you two were together at lunch," Pein declared.

Mizuki gazed over to the redhead. "That was when she confessed her love to me. I told her 'no' and promised I would keep her crush a secret. The reason why I denied you an explanation was because I didn't want to embarrass her."

Sakura couldn't take anymore lies. She clenched her fist tightly and pounded it against Mizuki's mouth. Pein rushed to Sakura and pulled her to the other side of the office while Fugaku and Tsunade dashed to Mizuki.

Mizuki held his hands over his busted lip. "You little bitch!" he shouted.

"Stop lying you pathetic, worthless, piece of shit! You tried to attack me!" she yelled back.

"Why couldn't you just keep your fuckin' mouth shut?! Next time I see you-" He immediately stopped speaking and turned to face Fugaku.

"Keep her mouth shut about what, Mizuki?" Fugaku asked with a smirk on his face.

"I-I..." Mizuki turned helplessly to Tsunade, but found no support. "She's a fuckin' tease! How was I supposed to act when the only people she hangs out with are boys?! She led me on with that innocent ruse!"

"Your job here at Konoha High School is terminated, Mizuki," Tsunade exclaimed without hesitation.

"What?!" Mizuki became hysterical. His heart was beating wildly as Fugaku grabbed both of his arms and pulled them behind his back.

"Time for you to take a ride with me," Fugaku smirked, pulling out his handcuffs from his back pocket.

Sakura, Pein and Tsunade followed the two out to the entrance of the school.

Fugaku talked through his two-way radio. "Hey, it's Officer Uchiha. Can you send my buddy out to Konoha High with our squad car?" He removed his hand from Mizuki to place his radio back into his pocket. Mizuki took that chance of freedom to rush back over to Sakura.

He dashed forward, ready to ram his leg against her and screamed out with a smile on his face. Sakura covered her body and shut her eyes tightly. Before he could land a blow, Pein had a tight grip on Mizuki's leg. He pulled his limb up causing Mizuki to lose his balance and fall onto the hard pavement.

"You think you're a fucking tough guy, huh? Well, let's see how tough you are when you hit prison, Mizuki. Once you're found guilty, which we all know you will be, you'll be shown up by a bunch of nice fella's that you're nothing special!" Pein hissed into Mizuki's ear.

Fugaku rushed over and jerked Mizuki up. "Sorry about that..."

Fugaku's partner arrived with the squad car and opened the door for Mizuki in the backseat. Before they left, Sakura walked over to Mizuki's window.

"What do you want?" he spat.

"I just wanted to say that thanks to you, I won't be very trusting of others," she started.

Mizuki snickered. "Good, you're a naïve fool."

"But you also taught me that those guys that I always hang out with are not my bed partners, but my best friends. They'll be by me through everything... so you can go to hell, bastard." She walked away and watched as the squad car drove away and turned a corner.

Tsunade stepped over and placed her hand on Sakura's head. "I apologize for not believing your story."

"It's okay, Tsunade-sama."

"But you did violate one of the rules at Konoha School District," Tsunade reminded.

"Yeah, I know... 'Physical violence against students or faculty members will not be tolerated.' I did it out of my own free will, Tsunade-sama, and I accept my punishment."

Tsunade crossed her arms and laughed. "I'm just kidding, Sakura. Having to be near such a waste of space is enough of a punishment." She turned to walk back into the school, but looked over her shoulder to say one more thing.

"By the way, that punch was pretty impressive. You remind me of myself with such a strong, left hook."

Sakura bowed and smiled up at her principal. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama."

Sakura entered the school and finally felt like herself again. Her mother and father had returned the night before and stayed by her side to make sure she was alright. She had informed them of everything and her father praised her for the punch she gave to that 'bastard Mizuki'.

She entered the bathroom and greeted Ino on the other side of the room. "Hey, Ino-chan," she smiled as Ino stepped closer.

"My dad heard that you got Mizuki-sensei fired," she stated.

The smile on Sakura's face faded. How the hell did he know? As if reading Sakura's thoughts, Ino explained, "My dad is friends with some guys on the police force."

"What's your point, Ino?" Sakura asked.

"I heard that he was in desperate love with you, Sakura. Now tell me, what is it that makes these guys fall for you so easily?"

The pinkette turned sharply with flashing eyes. "Ino, I didn't want him to fall for me. It was a terrible incident and I don't need to talk to you about it."

"Maybe if you didn't act so sleazy all the time, you wouldn't have to worry about creeps trying to get in your pants," Ino accused.

"Sleazy? I'm not doing anything wrong. There's no need for me to throw myself at anyone - unlike you."

Ino smashed her fist against the countertop of the bathroom. "I don't throw myself at anyone! You're always with those guys, Sakura, so admit it! You're obviously jumping around each of them!"

Sakura gritted her teeth. "Just because I hang out with them doesn't mean that I'm sleeping with them! They're really good guys and are my best friends. You're just mad because Sasori doesn't pay enough attention to you even if you pay him to. You're a selfish girl that only thinks about herself." Sakura stomped out of the bathroom and out to the hallway.

"We're not friends anymore, Sakura! You hear me? This friendship is done! And I'm not selfish!"

Sakura poked her head back into the bathroom. "Says the girl that has so much money, yet doesn't donate any of it to her club. Yeah, you're really _so_ selfless and considerate." Sakura laughed and shut the door behind her.

Ino ran to the mirror and looked at herself. "_I'm going to make sure to drive Sakura into the ground! She'll pay for acting so smug_!"

Sakura took her seat at her desk with a true smile on her face. "_This is the new me - the new Sakura. I'm no longer going to take crap from anyone and do what makes me happy! This __**is**__ the new me_!"

* * *

**A/N:**

**Hey, everyone! Just wanted to say that there will be more chapters that are interesting, funny and possibly romantic situations! There will be returning characters such as: Tobi, Zetsu, Ino and Sasuke. And new characters that will show up!**

**Keep reading and thank you for the (almost) sixty followers to this story! AAANDDD thank you for all the reviewers as well! YOU ALL ROCK FOR EVERYTHING BECAUSE YOU'RE JUST THAT AWESOME! :D**


	16. The Cultural Festival Is Here!

A month had past and the entire school was bouncing off the walls for the Cultural Festival. The school day was used to set up stalls and tables for the next two days and prepare for one of the most exciting events at the high school.

Sakura walked to the Student Council room and laughed at the two boys covered in paint. "What are you guys doing?" she asked through giggles.

"Hey, this is more difficult than we expected," Sasori exclaimed, holding up his dripping paintbrush.

She placed her hands on her hips. "Painting a banner shouldn't be such a bother. Anyway, what are the others doing?"

Deidara dropped his brush in the paint can and wiped the excess on his old clothes. "Itachi and Kakuzu are preparing the stall while Hidan and Kisame elaborate over the menu's choices. Why don't you go help Kisame? I'm sure he'll need it when dealing with Hidan."

"Yeah, I'll come back as soon as I can to help, okay?"

Sakura made her way to their stall and past Ino at her own table. "Sakura," Ino muttered coldly.

Sakura smirked, "Oh, you could only afford a tiny table? It sucks when you're too selfish to put in any money for your club. Too bad you didn't receive any funds from the Student Council." She laughed once and continued down the hall to Kisame and Hidan.

"I say we should put more meat on the menu!" Hidan announced.

Kisame breathed heavily. "It's a café, Hidan. A few choices of meat is enough. I think we should have more dessert-like dishes."

"Having only sweets is stupid! That's what the Cooking Club is for and we don't want to make our customers high on sugar!" Hidan argued.

Sakura stepped in and sat at one of the chairs they had rented. "So what's up?"

"Hidan wants to try and make the café into a barbecue house," Kisame explained, clearly annoyed by the silver-haired boy.

"It's not that, you ass! I want there to be more meat on the menu, but he thinks adding more sweets to it will make it more like a café."

Sakura laughed. "We _are_ making a café, Hidan. Besides, having more meat means more spending of our money and Kakuzu won't like that."

Hidan scratched the bridge of his nose. "I guess so, but atleast let me make half of the decisions for the food, Kisame!"

Kisame growled and threw the menu to Sakura. "You two figure it out. His voice is annoying the hell out of me."

"Okay, see you later, Fish Face!" Hidan called out. Kisame turned around, but only muttered something under his breath.

Hidan grabbed another chair and scooted close to Sakura. " 'Kay, Cherry-chan! What would you like on the menu?"

Sakura read over the menu and blushed slightly out of embarrassment. "The only things I can think of are the things I only like!"

Hidan laughed and pointed to a few on the meat selection. "I picked these two out and one of the small meals, the shrimp cakes, myself. Seriously, just pick things that you usually see at tiny diners and stuff."

"Okay!" Sakura began writing a few choices down.

He watched as she swiftly wrote down each appetizer or dessert she instantly thought of. He always wondered how well her hand-writing was and became surprised to find it so sloppy. He would occasionally yell out his opinion of a bad choice she made and add a few curse words along with it.

Hidan looked around for a moment and rested his head on her shoulder. He was expecting her to yell, but heard her laugh instead.

"Comfy?" she joked.

He nodded his head and continued to watch her write. For some reason, he thought that her sloppy writing was cute. Usually girls had neat, readable hand-writing, but at times, her's was hard to read. He inhaled and could smell the scent of her laundry soap on her clothes. Was it lavender? No, it smelled sort of fruity. Whatever smell it was, he really enjoyed it.

He would take occasional sniffs and smiled as she continued to chatter on about some of her favorite foods. He loved hearing her talk, especially about random, stupid shit because it made it entertaining.

She made everything entertaining.

She made him happy.

Hidan closed his eyes for a moment. He wished silently to himself for that moment to last forever.

No damn Itachi Uchiha. No annoying, bothersome people. No anything.

"I love you," he whispered.

"What'd you say?" she asked, turning her head.

Hidan's violet eyes shot open and he stood straight in his chair. "I said 'all of June'! I just can't believe that we had almost half of June for summer vacation. Too bad it isn't all of it, huh?" He added a fake laugh.

Sakura cocked her head. "I would rather have all of July. It's so hot and I hate walking to school in this heat."

Hidan nodded nervously. "Y-yeah..."

He metaphorically slapped himself. Hard. How could he say something like that out loud? Thank the heavens she doesn't have ultra-hearing abilities or he would have been done in.

Sakura returned to the Student Council room and pulled her hair up in a high ponytail. "Alright, you guys call yourselves artists? You can't even finish a banner quickly!"

"I'm a sculptor, not a painter. Sasori-kun should be doing a better job than I am! Holding a paintbrush is like holding a pencil!"

Sasori rolled his eyes. "Deidara, just because I hold them the same doesn't mean that painting is exactly like drawing."

"Move over, let me help you guys." Sakura plucked Deidara's paintbrush from his hand and quickly wrote 'Student Council Cafe'.

"That's weird. Itachi-kun made it sound like we were supposed to make it look nice," Deidara teased, looking down at the banner.

"Com'on Deidara-kun... It looks very nice, you know, if a three-year-old wrote it," Sasori smirked.

Sakura pouted. "How rude of you two! This is my best handwriting and I tried my hardest to make it neat!"

Sasori furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What are you talking about, Sakura-chan? You totally scribbled that down in less than five seconds."

"Okay, okay. Anyway, let's continue decorating the banner. I'll make squiggly lines for a border while you two do whatever you want." She dipped the paintbrush in bright, green paint and began a wavy-line pattern and continued as the boys did their own tasks.

Sasori picked up his sketchpad and grabbed his pencil. He needed a break anyway - why not draw?

"_What can I draw?_" He looked around the room and his eyes stopped at the freshman girl sitting on the floor surrounded by paint. Deidara decided to help her decorate and the two would occasionally throw jokes around about their terrible painting skills.

Sasori smiled and began sketching out many lines and shapes. His hand moved swiftly as if it had a mind of its own. As he finished the rough draft, he began shaping out a face and body. He loved drawing people and it had been some time since he last practiced.

He would glance over every few minutes at the young girl, trying to remember each and every detail that made her... her.

Sasori finished sketching her hair and her round eyes. She seemed different as he drew her. It seemed as if he was just meeting her all over again. Paying attention to such small details must be why he's thinking the way he is. He glanced up for a moment and noticed how small her hands were.

Such feminine hands and thin arms. How is she able to punch so hard with such a tiny frame? He drew down the small curve of her hip and to her long legs. He smiled again as he drew her small feet and chubby toes.

"_Huh... I finished her body_." He soon caught himself blushing when he realized this could be an actual depiction of how the young lady looked naked. His heart fluttered and he quickly began sketching out clothes. If Sakura had seen the picture, she most likely would have had the wrong idea.

Sakura and Deidara finished the border and turned to see Sasori bunched up in the corner.

"Sasori-kun, what are you doing?" Deidara asked, pulling Sakura over to the redhead.

Sakura bent down and watched as Sasori finished his art. "Oh my gosh! Is that me?"

"Yeah... I hope it isn't too bad - it's a little rushed," he said, embarrassed about the attention.

He handed his sketchpad to Sakura. Deidara leaned over the girl's shoulder. "Wow, that looks so much like you, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura blushed. "Yes, but I think it's much prettier."

Deidara laughed. "Sakura-chan, you are pretty! You're a lot prettier than most girls at this school!"

She playfully hit Deidara with the sketchpad. "Stop joking around, Deidara-kun. Hey Sasori-kun, can I keep this picture?"

"Of course you can."

Sakura smiled and tore the page carefully away from the binding. She folded it neatly and placed it in her pocket.

"I'm going to go check on Kakuzu-kun and Itachi-kun, okay? And Deidara stop trying to flatter me!" She ran through the door and back out to their stall.

Deidara sighed loudly and sat with his back against the wall. "It sucks."

"What does?" Sasori asked, cleaning up the paintbrushes and cans.

"It sucks because I wasn't joking, hm."

"Sakura-chan, your outfit was mailed in yesterday." Itachi picked up a small, cardboard box and placed it in her hands.

"Oh, great," she said sarcastically.

"I'm glad you're so excited. Let's see how it looks." He didn't catch the sarcasm and waited patiently for her to open it.

Sakura pulled the top flaps away and sifted through the foam peanuts. She pulled out an elegant box wrapped in a red ribbon.

"Wow, this must be a fancy brand," she remarked, pulling at the ribbon carefully.

Itachi took a seat and hid his smile as she pulled the frilly dress from the box. Like she had ordered a month ago, the color of the dress was salmon and decorated with small,black bows in a small row over the chest. The sleeves puffed out with small ruffles at the end and the waist was held together with a white, lacey apron.

She almost puked.

"It's really cute and you will most likely get many compliments," Itachi noted.

"Will it fit me?" she asked, examining the size.

"Of course it will, Sakura-chan. We took your measurements from your school record."

Sakura folded the dress back up. "When you say stuff like that, it makes you sound really creepy!"

Itachi shrugged. "Anyway, I need to go see how Kisame is doing. I'll see you soon, Sakura-chan."

Sakura placed the box under her arm and walked over to Kakuzu. He sat motionless in one of the chairs with his head buried in his hands.

"Kakuzu-kun?" She poked his shoulder, but was given no response. She continued to poke him repeatedly until he finally stirred from his spot.

"What, Sakura-chan?" he asked, his tone sounding sad and miserable.

"Why do you look so upset? Is it because we're spending money?"

Kakuzu rested his head on the table. "This is the most money the Student Council has ever spent on the Cultural Festival. We're going to be so broke after this..."

"Ah, com'on, Kakuzu-kun! Not everything is about money." She smiled down at the depressed senior.

He turned to face her with a frown on his face. "Money makes the world go 'round, Sakura-chan. This entire world is made just for money."

Sakura fished through her pocket and pulled out a few dollars. "If you want some money then take it, but will it be enough to make you happy?"

Kakuzu sat up. "Actually, yes, yes it would." He reached for the money, but Sakura pulled her hand away.

"Kakuzu-kun! You're not supposed to say something like that! You're supposed to say 'No, Sakura-chan, you're right. Money isn't the only thing that makes me happy! My friends make me the happiest in the world!' " Her voice cracked as she tried to mimic his low tone.

"That's so lame, Sakura-chan. Just because they're my friends doesn't mean I have to kiss their asses." He snatched the money from her hand and pointed. "This, however, is something that makes me very happy. Money doesn't talk back when I need it. Also, it's always nice to have money with you unlike some people."

Sakura crossed her arms. "There's stuff that money can't buy, you know! Look at me, I don't have a lot of money like most people do at this school, but I'm as happy as I can be. Being with you guys makes me so happy and I hope that I do the same to you all." She grabbed her money from his fingers and walked away.

Kakuzu noticed a bill on the floor and picked it up. He quickly caught up to her and sighed, "Here." He closed his eyes and held out the bill in front of her.

Sakura plucked it away and smiled. "Thank you, Kakuzu-kun."

Kakuzu's face began to flush as he opened his eyes and faced her. "You... do make me happy, Sakura-chan."

She opened her mouth to speak, but was quickly pulled away by Kisame. "Hey, can you two help nail up the banner? Sasori and Deidara are busy."

Kakuzu and Sakura agreed and followed Kisame to the entrance of their tiny café.

"I'll need someone light on my shoulders, so Sakura climb up here," Kisame stated, kneeling down.

Sakura carefully put her legs over his shoulders and wrapped them tightly around his neck. As he stood up, her hands were grabbing onto his hair.

"Sakura-chan, calm down, please. I'm going to hand you the hammer and bag of nails. I promise I won't drop you," Kisame said in a reassuring tone.

Kakuzu picked up Itachi on the other side while they held up the banner. "This is so humiliating," Kakuzu grunted.

"I don't know, Kakuzu, it's quite enjoyable," Itachi replied.

Sakura opened the bag of nails and held the hammer carefully in the crook of her arm. As she placed the nail in the wood, she dragged the hammer up and began pounding it in. They finished quickly and Sakura was brought down from Kisame's shoulders.

"You're really strong, Kisame-kun!" she admired.

"Yeah, being a boy, I have more muscle mass than you do - that's why I'm stronger," he replied without thinking.

Sakura's lips curved downward. "I am just as strong as you are!"

Kisame laughed. "I doubt it."

"I'll pick you up! I'll show you!" Sakura bent her knees and lifted Kisame off of the ground. She used all of her power, but began realizing he was too heavy. His weight began pressing against her upper body and causing her to move backwards. She lost her balance and fell on her back with Kisame on top of her.

He quickly scrambled off of her. "Are you okay?!"

She sat up and laughed it off. "I guess I'm not as strong as you are."

Kisame sat next to her and smiled, showing off his white, pointed teeth. "That is true, but there are some things that you do that I can't even compare to."

"Like?"

"Well, you are pretty tolerant when it comes to rude people. You keep your cool most of the time while I just unleash my anger on the poor soul. You, also, are fairly easy to be friends with, Sakura-chan. People don't come up to me and say 'Wow, you're such a nice guy, Kisame! Can I be your friend?' You're quite the girl to get to know," Kisame explained.

Sakura smiled and grabbed his hand. "That's really sweet, Kisame-kun."

He could feel his ears burn as he gained the courage he needed. "Sakura-chan, there's something I need to tell you. I feel like I really-"

The intercom buzzed on and Tsunade's voice rang over the parking lot of the school. "Attention students, the school day is over. Tomorrow, before the Cultural Festival, you'll have enough time to finish your stalls. Let's hope that this year's festival will be another success!" The intercom buzzed off again and the students began packing up.

Sakura picked up her box with her dress inside. "I'm sorry, but can we talk about this later? I need to go home and finish up a few things for tomorrow. I'll see you later, Kisame-kun!"

Kisame waved half-heartedly and kicked a rock near his feet. "Stupid intercom... Stupid bad timing!"


	17. May The Best Man Win!

Kizashi Haruno was very conservative - especially pertaining to his daughter. Each time she would go out with friends, a chill would run down his spine. "_Those boys may have seats on the Student Council, but they're still boys!"_

Sakura's always been known for her charm and sweet personality, but that can be quite bittersweet to her father. Boys always go after the innocent types; every, single one of them has an appendage that does more thinking than their brain.

He never approved of her hanging out with them after school, but what could he do with his job always taking him away from his family?

It was the day of the Cultural Festival for the high school and Kizashi, although feeling quite unsure, was excited to see his daughter enjoying herself. He and his wife left early to make sure the surprise was as amazing as she made it sound.

Sakura pulled the dress over her head and fastened the apron around her waist. Even though she thought it looked awfully gaudy, it was actually very nice on her after putting it on. She fixed the bows, making sure they were straight, and twirled around in a circle to watch her dress fly up.

"It's time!" she exclaimed into her mirror.

Itachi fastened his vest and wrapped a tie underneath his shirt's collar. It was almost time to get to the school, but he didn't mind being a few minutes late.

He combed his long, dark hair and fastened it into a loose ponytail. This was a day he always looked forward to, yet his stomach was twisted into knots. Why was that?

"Itachi, it's time to go, are you done?" Mikoto asked, partially opening her eldest son's door.

"Yes, Mother," he replied.

He quickly finished up and stepped out the door. When he climbed into their car, he had so many thoughts in his head, but they only centered around the freshman that he met just this year.

Why was that...?

This was the day. This was the most important day that Kisame Hoshigaki could ever imagine in his high school career. Today will be the day he doesn't suffer from horrible, bad timing and confess his attraction to Sakura.

Yesterday was just unlucky. Okay, very unlucky and absolutely ridiculous.

Or maybe it was a sign?

Kisame quickly shook that thought out of his head. Every time he's with that pink-haired freshman, she acts so cheerful and that happiness becomes contagious. He loved being around her and its been so much fun having her on the Student Council. Thank goodness for Itachi pushing her out of the way from that car.

"_Hmm... Itachi..._"

How would Itachi feel about this? Does Itachi like her or is it just platonic between the two?

"Regardless of what their relationship is, I know doing this will be very hard," he said to himself. He quickly combed his hair and marched out the door with his father and mother.

"Are we ready?" his father asked, buckling his seatbelt.

"More so than you think," Kisame replied.

Kakuzu wondered why he didn't just take that bill on the ground. It was just a dollar and she probably wouldn't have cared. Sakura really got to him yesterday with the whole 'I hope I make you happy too' speech. He's always enjoyed being around money - it's just a sweet, sweet object in his life.

But being around her is possibly better than that... by just a little.

Kakuzu ran his fingers through his hair and tied the laces on his shoes. "_I wouldn't mind buying her something with money_," he thought walking out to his mother's car.

"_As long as its pretty cheap_."

Deidara happily made his way to the bathroom to relieve his bladder. Today was going to be a great day! He knew it because it was another day spent with Sakura-chan! He loved being slightly obnoxious and teasing her - it was always fun to get her riled up.

However, something he didn't like about her was her stubbornness to accept compliments!

What was with that, huh?! She was given a straight-out compliment, yet she didn't believe it! It's not like he does it to mess with her because he rarely does it!

...Maybe that's why she didn't believe it.

Maybe complimenting her more will make her realize he's serious!

Deidara smiled into the mirror as he washed his hands. She's so cute and funny - no wonder so many people liked her! Well, the Student Council likes her, and that's as many friends as she needs!

He walked down the hallway of his home and back to his room. He wanted to look his best since this will be the first day he meets her mother _and father_.

"_If I want to date her, I've got to make a good impression! Here's to a good day, Deidara!_" he thought happily to himself.

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Why didn't he ever think before he spoke?! Hidan paced around his room and continued to slap his hands against his head. 'I love you'? Really?! He could barely sleep last night due to those three, stupid words!

"Hidan! Let's get the fuck going!" his mother yelled from downstairs.

Hidan opened the door. "Hold the fuck on! I'm still getting dressed! Damn!"

He pushed his hair back and buttoned his pants. It was so embarrassing that he almost left as soon as he said it.

But why is it so embarrassing? Why couldn't he just admit to it like a man?! Hidan grabbed his vest and hurried out the door. Maybe he'll try it again today.

Probably not.

Sasori brushed his teeth and spit the remaining toothpaste into the sink. He decided not to put on his suit until he reached the school due to having to walk in the early heat.

He silently closed the bathroom door and picked up his suit hung from the coat rack near the door. He turned once to his snoring grandmother sleeping on the couch. Empty beer bottles scattered the floor and an ashtray was turned over on the coffee table with cigarette ashes spilled on the surface.

"_Pathetic_," he thought angrily to himself. He slipped on his shoes and exited the house.

He desperately wished he could have a life like Itachi's or any of the others. Their parents were always happy to see them. Sasori was lucky enough to have food in the fridge, but it was his own money buying it due to Grandma Chiyo only supporting her habit.

He reached an intersection and watched as another Konoha student walked with their parents to the school. They looked excited and ready to see their child's hard work. That was another thing he envied after - he wished his parents could be coming to the Cultural Festival.

He pressed the crosswalk button and waited for the light to change. All these wishes and wants... they weren't going to bring them back. The stop light changed to walk and Sasori stepped sluggishly to the other side. Maybe he should just skip the Cultural Festival...

No. No, he can't do that. Not with all the work they put into it this year. Sasori smiled as he passed through the gate of the school, remembering the crap they had to go through yesterday.

Sakura had tripped over a lone plank of wood and threw a bag full of nails in Sasori's direction - thank goodness that they didn't do much harm.

That girl. She is something unique. So clumsy and silly - such an innocent mind she was. She had such a pure and happy heart. She was a spitfire too. Sasori knew better than to make her mad, but it was hilarious to watch her punch Hidan or yell at Deidara.

"Sakura Haruno - a freshman that's so oblivious to others' affection." If only she knew how he felt about her.

Sakura slipped through the growing crowd to her stall and hid inside. She sat on a foldable chair and sighed. Her stomach did somersaults due to being partially nervous as her main role was the most important. She'll probably meet many people today and it might become exhausting rather quickly.

"Oh, you're back here?" Itachi moved the curtains away and met with Sakura. The other five quickly joined in and waited to discuss any important matters.

"Sakura-chan, you're really just going to wear your hair down like that?" Deidara asked, pointing to her flat, everyday hairstyle.

Sakura ran her fingers through her hair and frowned. "I didn't know I had to get polished up so much."

Deidara pulled out his handy comb, to untangle his long, blonde hair, and readied himself behind the girl. "Don't worry, Sakura-chan! I can fix your hair to really make your face pop!" He began combing through strands of pink and dividing it up into many sections.

"Your hair is so soft, Sakura-chan," he mumbled.

Sakura closed her eyes and smiled. "It feels nice to have someone else comb my hair - it kind of tickles."

Deidara smiled and continued running his comb through her hair. The other boys watched in jealousy as Deidara and Sakura shared a gentle moment.

"_How dare he act so sweet?" _Itachi thought.

Kisame crossed his arms. "_I bet I could do it better_."

Kakuzu only grunted in disapproval.

Hidan gritted his teeth and tried his best to hold his tongue. "_That fucker_!"

Sasori looked on. "_I wonder if she'd like it if I did that_?"

"Finished!" he yelled in delight.

Sakura stood up and looked through a pan's reflection. Two strands of her hair were braided and pinned to each side of her head leading to a ponytail hanging over the rest of her hair.

Itachi was in awe at how such a simple hairstyle could make her look so different. "You look... beautiful," he stated.

Each male member's head snapped so fast in his direction it was surprising their necks didn't break. Sakura's cheeks held a rosey hue and the girl bit her lip as her stomach resumed its somersaults.

"Thank you, senpai," she squeaked.

Itachi turned to the others. "It's almost nine o'clock. Let's all get into our spots and ready ourselves for students and adults alike. Let's make this day a great one."

Kizashi and Mebuki made their way through the crowds of students and parents to each small stand. They placed a few dollars here and there at certain stalls that caught their eye. They reached the Student Council's café and were immediately welcomed by Hidan and Sasori.

"Welcome to the café, Mr. and Mrs. Haruno!" Sasori greeted with a smile.

Hidan held two menus in his arm. "Please, let me guide you to your table."

Mebuki took her husband's arm and grinned. "Oh my! See, they are good boys after all, Kizashi."

Kizashi grumbled something low under his breath and followed the senior to a table near the kitchen.

"Is this table fine?" he asked, through a strained smile.

Kizashi nodded only once and took his seat. Hidan handed them each a menu and stated their waitress will be there shortly.

Kizashi looked through the menu and sat it down. "Where is our Sakura? Isn't she supposed to be the, how did you put it, 'face' of the club? If she's out back then I'll be pretty disappointed."

Mebuki read through the menu. "Oh, stop fussing so much, Kizashi. Look, they have Nikujaga on the menu! Please, enjoy yourself a little."

"Fine, fine." Kizashi finally softened up and continued looking through the menu. For a high school festival, these kids really prepared for everything. The decor of the café was very modern and it felt like an actual restaurant.

"Hello there! I'm Sakura and I'll be your waitress! Have you already chosen your meals?" a bubbly voice sounded.

Kizashi's stiff appearance reared its ugly head again as he saw what his daughter was wearing. It was definitely inappropriate and she just looked like... fan-service!

"S-sakura? What are you wearing?!" he stuttered.

Sakura twirled around. "Isn't it cute, Dad? I thought it looked awful when I first saw it, but-"

"It looks terrible on you!" he yelled, causing other patrons to turn toward his voice.

Mebuki covered her face with her menu. "Kizashi, please don't cause a scene!"

"What kind of self-respecting girl wears such a dreadful dress?! Take it off and put something modest on!" he scolded.

Sakura held her pen and pad tightly and tried her best to smile. "I'll give you two a minute, okay?" She quickly made her way through the curtain and into the backroom. She sat on a box of unopened bottles of drinks.

Itachi stopped cooking and made his way to the distressed girl. "What's wrong?"

"My dad just yelled at me for wearing this dress. He said it was inappropriate and pretty much yelled out that I looked trampy," she replied, trying very hard not to cry.

Itachi didn't know what to say. The dress, to him, didn't seem very revealing - the neckline was above her collarbone!

"I can take care of them for you," he offered.

Sakura handed him the pen and notepad. "Thanks, senpai."

Itachi walked down the aisle and reached their table. "Hello, I'm Itachi. What will you two like to order?"

"Where's my daughter at?" Kizashi growled.

Itachi's eyes narrowed. So this was Kizashi Haruno? Itachi's father shared the same homeroom with him as a child, but he never went into detail how uptight he was.

"Sakura-chan is very busy at the moment. Now, what would you like to order, Mebuki-san?"

Mebuki blushed immediately as the young boy smiled down at her. "Oh, I would like a medium-sized bowl of purin, please?"

Itachi scribbled down the order. "Purin, I see. I'm also very fond of sweets, Mebuki-san - good choice."

Mebuki melted like butter. She loved attention from younger boys.

Itachi turned to Kizashi. "And your order, Kizashi-"

"Haruno-sama is more respectful, thank you. I'll have your strawberry mochi and an iced tea with it, please. Don't make it too cold or I'll send it back." Kizashi roughly handed his menu to Itachi and crossed his arms as if he was a feudal lord.

"Oh, I'll have a cherry-lime soda, too," Mebuki added, handing her menu to him while brushing her fingers against Itachi's.

"Thank you very much. Your food will be out shortly." He retreated back to the kitchen and tried his best not to get upset.

He tore out the paper and gave it to Kisame. "Please, prepare these as soon as you can," he whispered.

Sakura stood up and Itachi immediately pushed the pad and pen to her. "Your dad is quite... bold, Sakura-chan."

"Yeah, sorry about that... I thought he would be excited to see me, but I guess this dress isn't very appealing. Maybe I should just take it off."

Itachi held her arm. "No, don't do that. It looks great on you and it really isn't revealing at all! You're here to enjoy yourself so please have some fun."

Sakura held up her pad and pen. "Okay, let's go out and make people happy!" She rushed through the curtain with a newfound optimism.

Kisame finished the strawberry mochi and set it next to the purin. "Itachi, I need to speak with you after the day is finished. Will that be okay?"

Itachi blinked. "Sure, Kisame." He picked up the tray of sweets and the drinks ready to walk out to Sakura's parents.

Kizashi sat in his chair with a feeling of distaste. He watched as Sakura paraded around the tiny café. She would take orders and bounced around like a little girl. He watched in disgust as students and older men would try and sneak a peek of her rear as she left with their orders.

"Here are your orders - fresh and delicious," Itachi exclaimed, sitting the tray on the table.

"Thank you," he grunted.

Itachi walked away, but was yanked back by Kizashi's strong grip. Kizashi pulled Itachi toward him and whispered into his ear. "How dare you parade my daughter around like a doll. She wasn't put on this earth for your entertainment!"

Itachi stood straight and fixed his sleeve. "I'm sorry if you think that way, Haruno-sama, but we would never use your daughter like that in any way. This is her role as the Mascot of the Student Council and, even if she were a boy, she would still have to follow said role. Besides, she's having fun - let her be."

"You little bastard!" Kizashi raised his fist and punched Itachi across his jawline. The Uchiha fell to the floor and looked up in surprise. Kizashi sat on top of him, pinning him to the ground.

"You're not her father - I AM!" He pounded his fist against his cheek once more. A crowd encircled them and Mebuki tried her best to pull her husband away.

"Dad! Stop!" Sakura screamed, running toward the scene. Kizashi ignored her and held up his fist for another blow.

Sakura wrapped her arms around his and held on with all her strength. "Let go, Sakura!" he barked.

"No! Leave him the hell alone, Dad!"

"This doesn't concern you!" he snarled.

"If you don't get off of him, I'll never speak to you again!" she threatened.

Kizashi stopped struggling and glared at his only child. Her fierce gaze was fixed on him and he realized how foolish he must look right now. He roughly pushed his wife and daughter away and picked himself off of Itachi. He fixed the collar of his shirt and gave Sakura a nasty frown.

"We've seen enough here. Mebuki and I are going home." Before he left, he slapped the dishes off of their table and spilled them onto the floor.

Sakura and the boys quickly huddled down over Itachi. He sat up and rubbed his sore face.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked, holding onto his shoulder.

"Why the hell did he punch you?" Kisame asked.

Itachi shook his head. "I must've said something he didn't like, but it's okay... I'm okay." He stood up and found the entire café staring at him.

"Well, what a show that was! Everything is alright, so please continue to enjoy yourself at the Student Council Cafe!" he said in an exuberrated tone.

He turned to his friends. "Seriously, I'm fine. We still have a whole day left to work, so let's get going."

The day quickly passed after Kizashi and Itachi's scene. Itachi's cheek was slightly swollen, but it didn't affect him much. When he walked out of the stall, he noticed Sakura sitting at a lone bench, still wearing her dress.

Itachi took a seat next to her. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Sakura chuckled. "Funny. I said that to you too after my father was punched you twice in the face." He could hear the embarrassment in her voice.

She propped her elbows on her knees and leaned forward to bury her face in her hands. "Man, this year isn't what I expected. It's already going down the toilet and it's not even the end of summer."

Itachi placed his hand on her back and smiled. "Well, that's good, right? That means you still have enough time to climb out of that toilet and have a fun year with us still."

He could feel her back shaking and worried that she was crying. The shaking became worse, but he was shocked to find her laughing a few moments later.

"Seriously, senpai? 'Climb out of that toilet?' " she continued to laugh.

"Is that weird?" he asked.

She finished her laughing fit and looked up to him with a brightened face. "Yes, but it's okay to be a little weird." She stood up from the bench. "I better get going before it starts getting dark. I'll be here tomorrow to help clean up, okay?"

She turned around and began walking in the direction of home. The Cultural Festival may have taken a turn for the worse, but she knew that going home would be a nightmare.

Itachi ambled back to the stall and called each boy to the kitchen. "What the fuck do we need to do now?" Hidan growled.

"It's very important we talk about this now," Itachi began.

As he looked over his friends' faces, he breathed in and readied himself for his speech. "Does anyone else like Sakura Haruno?"

Each boy exchanged startled expressions, but none of them had the guts to speak out. The room was stuffy and the situation made it even stuffier. Kisame, nervously, rose his hand in the air.

"I like her," he admitted.

His words caused a whirlwind of confessions.

"I really like her too!" Deidara yelled happily.

"I really fuckin' like her!" Hidan cursed.

"I enjoy her company very much," Kakuzu added.

"So do I," Sasori stated.

Itachi tried settling them down and wrestled for control. "Okay, okay. We all like Sakura-chan, but it's pretty obvious that only one of us can truly be with her. So, I have to say this... We can try our best, but we have to let her decide who she likes the most. No-one, and I mean _no-one_, can ask her out or push her into it. Understand?"

He continued after a moment of silence. "I still want to be friends no matter what happens. Now, I will end this conversation with a toast." He poured each boy a glass of unused soda and raised their drinks in the air.

"May the best man win!"


	18. Hidan's Cursing

Hidan did his normal routine before school: get up, get dressed, brush teeth and walk to that hell-hole.

He trudged downstairs and met with his father getting ready for work. "Hey, Dad, how was your night?" he asked, showing off his toothy grin.

"Can't talk right now, Hidan." His father tightened his tie and quickly made his way out the door.

Hidan grabbed his bag and looked up at the ticking clock. His father usually drove to work around nine o'clock, but if he ever met with Hidan in the morning, he'd make up an excuse and rush out.

"Fuck you too," Hidan muttered and turned to leave.

Since his house was miles away from school, he would ride the train every morning. He stepped onto the passenger car and took his usual spot. As the train's whistle sounded, he was given glaring looks from an elderly woman sitting across from him.

"The fuck are you looking at, you old bitch?" he said bizarrely casual.

The old woman huffed and puffed at the disrespectful behavior while other passengers shook their heads in disapproval. Hidan didn't give two shits what strangers thought of him - they would forget about him by the end of the day anyway.

As the train slowed to its scheduled stop, Hidan looked back at the stoney, old eyes that glared at him. He flipped his middle finger up in the air. "Take a picture, hag - it'll last longer." He laughed loudly and jumped down to the pavement.

"Now, when the eyes focus on objects far away, the pupil dilates. When the eyes focus on objects relatively close, the pupil does the opposite." Shiho-sensei began drawing an illustration of an eye on the board.

Hidan held his chin in his hand and continued to doodle on his notebook paper. He drew sloppy monsters terrorizing a small town with fire exploding from their mouths and little stick figures running away. He did this every school day and, if you looked through the pages of his notebook, you'd be surprised by all the graphic pictures - from naked women to decapitation - that's what lay hidden inside.

It wasn't because he was disturbed or a serial killer in the making, he always drew this way ever since pre-school. One day, when they had drawing time, Hidan was sent to the office due to his terrifying art. But that was a long time ago and he's rarely sent to the principal's office now and it's only done because of his foul mouth.

After the boring lecture from the substitute, the bell rang loudly and he lifted his bag off of the floor. "Fuck yeah! Lunch time!" he cheered.

Since the Cultural Festival and everyone's confession, Hidan was ready to win over Cherry-chan and lunchtime was a gigantic opportunity to help him win her over. He raced out the door, bento in hand, and waited patiently by Sakura's homeroom. He smiled as she walked out and tapped her shoulder.

Sakura twirled around and smiled back at Hidan. "Hey, Hidan-kun. Are you going to walk with me to the room?"

"Fuck yeah! That's exactly what I was going to do, Cherry-chan!"

Sakura was confused by the immense attention she was receiving from the boys lately. Itachi was found waiting on her doorstep this morning and stated he'd walk with her every morning. Deidara was dishing out compliments as if they were necessary for living and Kisame carried her books to her classroom.

As they reached their hang-out, Hidan scurried over to the door and opened it for the young lady. "Here you go, Cherry-chan."

"Thanks, Hidan-kun," she said happily.

When she entered, tt was as if her foot stepped on a pressure-release trap. As soon as the boys caught sight of her, they immediately greeted her with warm welcomes and smiles.

It made her feel good.

Hidan took a seat next to her and opened his lunch. "Fuck! Why the hell did she put shitty vegetables in my lunch?! This is fuckin' great!" he yelled.

Kakuzu raised his chopsticks. "Calm down, Hidan."

"Yeah, can you stop cussing so much? It really dampens the mood," Deidara added.

He stood up with his lunch and reached for the door. "I'm going to throw this shit away. No-one take my spot or I'll kill you!"

The door slid closed and Hidan could hear his friends speak. "That mouth of his is so frustrating!" Deidara complained.

"And cussing so much isn't showing such a respectful image of the Student Council," Kisame noted, taking a bite of his sashimi.

Itachi sipped down his soda. "There's nothing we can do about it. Trying to stop him will only make it worse."

Sasori nodded. "It's not even that. He can't even control himself. He couldn't last a week without cursing."

Deidara laughed. "A week?! Sasori, he couldn't last a day without cussing!"

Hidan had had enough. He slammed the door open, startling his friends, and yelled loudly. "I can go a day without cussing, you fuckers!"

Kakuzu smirked. "Then prove it, Hidan."

Hidan frowned. "How?"

"Go a day without cussing and we'll believe you have some self-control," Kakuzu replied.

Hidan searched around the room and ended his gaze at Sakura. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "You do cuss quite a bit, Hidan-kun."

"Fine! I'll do your stupid, little bet! But if I win, I get to take Cherry-chan out to dinner!" he demanded.

The boys felt a bullet push through their hearts. The chances of Hidan winning the bet were fairly slim, but if a miracle occurred and he won... He'd have a higher chance of Sakura choosing him!

Itachi stood up and reached out his hand. "Since tomorrow's a half-day of school, we'll start then."

Hidan grabbed hold of his hand and smirked. "Yeah! You'll regret shakin' my hand though!"

"Why am I always centered around your bets?" Sakura griped.

Hidan readied himself for school. He could hear his mother and father fighting in the next room over, but it was all too normal to worry about. He packed his lunch and opened the door.

"Hello, Hidan," Kakuzu greeted with no expression.

Clearly frightened, Hidan fell backwards with a scream escaping from his lips. "What? Kakuzu?!"

"I want to make sure to watch you on your way to school. You know, if you curse or anything," Kakuzu said, helping him up.

Hidan rolled his eyes and shoved his club member out of the way. Kakuzu followed him to the train station and stepped onto the passenger car. Hidan took his seat while Kakuzu stood near the door.

"Why are you standing?" Hidan asked, annoyed that he had to have a babysitter.

Kakuzu crossed his arms. "I always stand up when I'm on the train. I save seats for the elderly or others that need it."

"Well, aren't you just a sweetheart!" Hidan crowed with a sour tone.

The same elderly woman from yesterday climbed onto the train and stood up, holding onto one of the stanchions. She glared at Hidan and turned away after their eyes met.

"_I guess she does remembers yesterday_," Hidan thought to himself. As the train started, Hidan stood up from his seat and barely touched the old woman on the shoulder.

"You can take my seat," he mumbled.

The woman remained standing for a few seconds, then slowly made her way to his seat. "Thank you, young man," she responded with a small smile.

Hidan held onto the bar and noticed Kakuzu smirking. He never liked showing his soft side in front of his friends and now Kakuzu has seen how kind he could be.

"Stop looking at me! People will get the wrong idea," Hidan muttered.

Kakuzu chuckled, "Just never knew how nice you can be. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

Hidan and Kakuzu walked into the school and stacked their shoes in the cubby. "Well, you were rather lucky this morning, Hidan. Let's hope you can survive the rest of the school day," Kakuzu congratulated.

Hidan scoffed, "Oh, whatever! I can go a half-day of school without cussing. We don't have a long lunch so it will be even easier!" The only thing he really worried about was after school - that's when they'll try their hardest to make him crack.

He wasn't that stupid; he knew they had some sort of plan to overwhelm him and cause him to cuss.

But what was it?!

Deciding to brush those thoughts away, Hidan began to plan his date with Sakura. If he won, he would take her to a nice restaurant and have her choose whatever she liked - that was the polite thing to do. He wasn't like Kakuzu, he didn't mind spending that much money; especially if it meant winning over Sakura in a way. The bell rang for the final time, and since Hayate-sensei was sick again, the substitute released them from the educating prison.

Itachi stood next to Hidan. "Hey, the group has decided we should hang out at the park today. We can play basketball too," Itachi stated.

"Yeah, that'll be fff-" Hidan covered his mouth as the curse word almost slipped out.

Itachi cupped his hand around his ear. "I'm sorry, what was that?" He had a sly smile crawling over his face.

Hidan relaxed. "That'll be fun, Itachi. I'll meet you there."

Itachi was disappointed. "Damn, I almost had him. I really didn't want to have to do this, but I have no choice." He walked out of his classroom to speak with someone that could possibly save the group from Hidan winning Sakura's heart.

Hidan opened the door to his home and met with the hard eyes of his father. "Excuse me, Hidan," his father said, squeezing passed him and opening his car's door.

"Bye, Dad," Hidan waved. His father ignored him and drove off to an unknown destination.

Hidan went inside and pulled out an old shirt and a pair of shorts from the dryer. He was excited to play basketball with his friends and hurried to pull off his school clothes. When he finished getting dressed, he raced off to the park, ready to beat everyone and show off his skills to Sakura.

He reached the basketball court and was shocked to see Tobi running around the group. Itachi noticed his appalled expression and motioned him over to explain.

"We brought Tobi so we could have an even team. Now, the two captains will be myself and Kisame." The other boys lined up.

"Wait, who else is playing?" Hidan asked.

Sakura threw the basketball to Hidan and laughed. "I'm going to be playing! I'm pretty good at shooting hoops too!"

Hidan handed the basketball to Itachi and stood in line with the others. Itachi cleared his throat, "Normal rules like we always play. Tobi, the rules are pretty simple, so I'm sure you'll be able to follow them. I'll go first..." He looked through the line and settled on his first choice.

"Sakura-chan." He threw the ball to her and the freshman smiled.

Kisame rolled his eyes as she passed it to him. It was an obvious choice, so he was going to go with a skilled player. "Kakuzu."

Damn.

Kakuzu was the best player in their group and now Itachi needed to pick someone. Hidan was the most skilled due to his agility and long-range shots, but they made a deal to pick him last to raise his anger. "Sasori," Itachi called. He may not be very fast, but he makes a lot of baskets.

"Deidara." What Itachi didn't know was Deidara's skill with flexibility and he could quickly slide through his opponents, it was luck he picked Sasori.

Itachi had received the short straw, but he did choose Sakura over Kakuzu, so it wasn't that much of a loss. "Tobi," he said, throwing the ball to him. Tobi missed the ball and watched as it bounced away.

"_I really wish I had Hidan now_," Itachi thought.

Hidan was in complete shock and denial. "You picked him over me?! That's ridiculous! He doesn't even play and he couldn't even catch the ball! You're all a bunch fu-" He turned to Sakura and realized that it was just another trick to cause him to lose.

"You're all a bunch of fools. And I'm definitely not gonna' let you win!" He turned back to Sakura and showed off his confident smile.

"Which do you prefer, Cherry-chan? Steak or pork?"

Sakura smiled. "I love steak!"

"Okay, then I'll order that for you tomorrow when we go on our date!" he boasted.

Itachi bounced the ball against the asphalt. "Not if you lose, Hidan," he taunted.

Hidan walked over to Kisame and stood in his position. "That's not gonna happen, Uchiha! Now, let's play!"

The game continued into the evening and Kisame's team won by a vast amount of points. Itachi would often have to order Sasori to do his job and had zero control of Tobi's antics.

"Well, we won, Itachi-kun. Good game." Kisame shook his friend's hand and each member sat down to rest.

Tobi continued to run around. "Tobi-chan is having fun! Tobi-chan knew he would do amazing during the basketball game! Does Itachi-senpai want to make Tobi-chan a member now?" He bounced up and down in front of the Uchiha.

Itachi frowned. "No, Tobi, I will not make you a member. I simply asked you to join us in a game of basketball."

"And why are you still wearing that mask? Take it off!" Deidara tried to pull it away, but Tobi scampered behind Sakura.

"No, this is Tobi-chan's mask! The Art Club boy said I could keep it for as long as I wanted to!" He pulled up his mask slightly and sniffed Sakura's hair.

"Mmm, Sakura-chan's hair smells so good!"

Jealousy ran through their veins as he continued to inhale her smell. Itachi held up the basketball and threw it at the boy. Tobi fell backwards and landed on the asphalt.

"Your services are no longer needed, Tobi. Now, please leave before I do something I shouldn't," Itachi stated coldly.

Tobi stood up and ran out of the park with his arms flailing wildly.

"He's so strange," Sakura said, watching him run off.

Hidan turned on his phone and checked the time. "Ha! It's almost eight o'clock, guys! Looks like I win and you all lose!"

He grabbed Sakura and pulled her next to him. "Cherry-chan and I will surely enjoy our day without you all!"

Itachi walked over and presented his hand. "I've got to admit, Hidan... You proved me wrong today. You do have self-control and, I hate to say it, but enjoy your time with Sakura-chan."

Hidan couldn't believe his ears. Itachi Uchiha complimenting him?! He grabbed his hand and shook it roughly. "Thanks! And you guys almost got me a few times during the game too! So, I guess we both did pretty okay!"

An annoying beep echoed from his phone and the boy read a new text message. "I've got to go guys. I'll see you at school since I'll be busy tomorrow!" He laughed and jogged to the train station.

Sakura smiled. "I've got to go too. I had fun playing basketball, hopefully we can do it again."

They waved goodbye to the pinkette and Kisame turned to Itachi. "Did you really mean what you said to Hidan?"

"Hell no, Kisame-kun. I wanted to beat my head against the wall and shove the lucky bastard down a sewer drain."

Hidan alerted Sakura to the time of their special day and readied himself. His clean, button-up shirt and ironed pants grabbed his parents' attention.

"Where the fuck are you going?" his mother asked.

Hidan couldn't contain his happiness. "I'm going on a date today and I want to look my best!"

His father, hearing the conversation, pulled his phone away from his face. "Wow, you didn't curse and you've got a date?"

Hidan was surprised. "Yeah, I really like her a lot."

"Hear that, Hima? He can go longer without cussing than you can," his father sneered.

"Fuck you, Yumaru," she responded.

Yumaru turned to his son and smiled. "Have fun, Hidan."

Hidan stepped into his shoes. "I will. Thanks, Dad! I'll see you later!" He made his way out the door with a smile on his face. For the first time in years, his dad finally acknowledged him.

"_This is gonna be a good day_!"

He pulled Sakura's seat out and gestured her to sit. Sakura laughed and sat down as the waitress handed them menus.

"I'll be right back to take your order," she said happily and rushed off to take care of another table.

Sakura looked through the menu. "This place is so expensive, Hidan-kun. Are you sure you want to take me here?"

He laughed at her fretful expression. "It's alright, Cherry-chan. If you don't choose something, I'll choose for you!"

During their meal, they exchanged small talk about school and the Sports Festival coming up. He knew his time was precious and tried his best to woo her. He would throw compliments to her and she would respond positively.

After they finished eating, Sakura realized he didn't utter a single curse word. "So, Hidan-kun, I was wondering something."

Hidan leaned forward in his chair. "Yeah?"

"Is this whole non-cussing thing a permanent thing or will you be back to your old self tomorrow?"

Hidan propped his elbows on the table and his face in his hands. "Not gonna lie, Cherry-chan. I probably will. But it's been really nice not getting offended looks from old hags and geezers. I even had someone talk to me that hasn't in a while because of it. I might just cut down a bit on the cursing, but not entirely because that's just how I am - it's what makes me... me."

Sakura smiled and nodded her head. "I like that, Hidan-kun. I'm very happy you won the bet."

Hidan blushed. "It was nothing, really. I just wanted to prove to them that I'm not some little, uncontrollable kid. And I also wanted to show you that I can be as mature as that Uchiha!"

The waitress walked by and placed the bill on the table. Hidan's jaw dropped as he read the full price.

"Sorry, if it's too much, Hidan-kun. While you went to the bathroom, I ordered two more steaks - I was really hungry," Sakura admitted.

Hidan knew she was hungry, but the bill he received was slightly higher than he expected. He pulled out his wallet and placed the money on top of the bill.

"It's okay, Cherry-chan. Nothing's too much when it comes to you and your strange appetite."

* * *

**A/N:**

**Gah! Finally done and hopefully I'll get out of this slump of not writing! D: Anyway, this was a Hidan chapter, so I hope you all enjoyed it! :3**

**There should be more to come and I apologize for the late update! D:**


	19. Advice For The Boys

The lights in his room flickered on as he turned on the switch. He pulled off his tie and began brewing drinks for his soon-to-arrive guests.

"Why my house? I don't even have a mother to clean it!" Pein complained.

He turned on his faucet and ran a washrag under the running water. He had to clean up his bachelor pad before they arrived or he wouldn't hear the end of it. He scrubbed the table and the floor with fast and forceful strokes. As he stared proudly at his fast cleaning abilities, hurried knocks came from beyond his door.

"Hey, Pein-sensei, we brought some snacks and drinks for the night," the boys rang out, holding up bags and liters of soda.

He invited them in, but was still confused by their sudden request. "So, you wanted to stay over to talk about the Sports Festival, right?"

Itachi flopped onto couch. "Actually, we just needed some time to just be guys, so we wanted to hang out with you. Is that okay?"

Pein sighed, "Oh, so you're just using me? Fine, but this will only happen once or twice, alright?"

"Thanks, Pein-sensei!" Deidara exclaimed, taking a handful of chips.

Pein poured himself a glass of whiskey and chugged it down. "You know I'm too old for sleep-overs. What did your parents say when you told them you're spending the night with your advisor?"

"We just told them we were spending the night at one another's house. It's not that big of a deal even if they find out," Itachi replied.

The red-haired man groaned loudly and poured another drink. "_Why me?"_

"Pein-sensei, why do you drink?" Sasori asked.

Pein turned to the group of high school boys. "I drink because I can. Why do you all like Sakura-san?" he countered in a teasing tone.

The boys' skin flushed a bright red. "That's uncalled for, Pein-sensei," Deidara said, hanging his head.

"Well, it's true and, honestly, a bit hilarious. Why do you all like her so much anyway?" He handed them each a glass of soda.

Itachi leaned back on the couch and gazed up at his advisor. "It's not really anything you can control, sensei. She's not like all the other girls in our school."

"Yeah, and we spend almost everyday with her, so it was obvious that at least one of us would end up liking her," Hidan added.

Pein sat down beside Itachi. "So, what makes her different? Why is it just her and not any other girl?"

"There's nothing wrong with the other girls at our school, Pein-sensei. Most of them are pretty, but they don't act like Sakura-chan," Kisame answered.

"Yeah, I get that she acts different from other girls, but you all don't seem to want to answer my question on how she _is_ different," Pein replied, agitated from the rounded-off answers he was receiving.

The boys stayed silent for a moment and thought of all the unique traits Sakura had. "She's so... humorous and good-natured," Itachi started.

Kisame agreed. "She doesn't judge a person by their appearance and acts very open and friendly."

Hidan joined in. "But she won't take shit from anyone because she isn't a doormat! And she hates it when people get hurt or bullied."

Pein smiled. "She has quite the impression on you all. I wonder what the other three have to say." He turned to Sasori, Deidara and Kakuzu.

Deidara grinned. "Sakura-chan is a beautiful angel! She's so spunky and cute, but she's even cuter when she gets mad at you! She's a walking cherry-bomb!"

Deidara elbowed Sasori and the junior blushed. "She's very empathetic and compassionate. She loves each one of us and we love her so much, sensei."

They turned to Kakuzu and waited patiently for the senior to finish their description of Sakura. He lifted his glass and drank slowly. When he set it down on the table he turned to his friends. "Sakura-chan is a diamond amongst stones... She's a treasure to have in the club because she's always bright and cheerful. She puts others before her and will protect each of her friends... But she's rather innocent and oblivious to others' feelings that involve her romantically. We have to face facts that Sakura-chan may not ever take the hint that we care for her more than just as friends."

Itachi sat straight on the couch. "Kakuzu-kun is right, however, we cannot break the code and shout out our feelings to her."

"Not to mention she might not even like us that way," Sasori acknowledged.

The room was absolutely still after Sasori's words. They hadn't even thought of her relationship with them strictly being platonic.

"Hasn't she had a crush on your brother for a while, Itachi?" Kisame asked.

Itachi gripped his cup tightly. "I... don't know. He never spoke about her, so I'm not sure."

"How will we know if she even likes us like that? We can't just say 'Hey, Sakura-chan, do you want to date one of us?' What should we do?" Deidara asked.

Pein chuckled. "Wow, this reminds me of a Shoujo Ai manga that Konan used to read when she and I were young or a television drama my mother would watch!"

The boys exchanged confused looks. "Sensei, you mean 'Shoujo' not 'Shoujo Ai'," Itachi corrected, slightly embarrassed.

Pein turned to the boy. "What?"

Itachi swallowed down his drink. " 'Shoujo Ai' is a Girls' Love genre of manga..."

Pein cocked his eyebrow in confusion. Hidan stepped in and said it bluntly, "We're not lesbians. That's what Shoujo Ai is - Yuri! You just meant Shoujo!"

The teacher blushed with embarrassment. "Shut up! I didn't mean that at all!" His students laughed at his humiliation.

Pein finally quieted them down and returned to the subject before. "So, what are you going to do? Are you just going to let her pick?"

"We have no choice, Pein-sensei, but all I can hope is she chooses before the seniors graduate high school," Itachi answered.

"I think you should just try harder. I know that she doesn't just think of you all in a 'best friend' way. But, I must warn you, that the friendship between all of you may go through many hardships, so is she really worth it? Is she worth ruining the relationship you all have together?" Pein cautioned, his eyes wandering around the room.

"We made it clear on the day of the Cultural Festival that whoever she picks will not break us apart as friends," Itachi reminded.

Pein nodded. "Well, I hope for the best of you all. Trying to make a girl like you is tough, but being unable to even confess it is even tougher. Now, let's get off that subject and onto a new one! The Sports Festival is in less than two weeks... are you all ready to participate? Other schools are going to be sharing the day with us as well."

Itachi furrowed his brow and frowned. "Other schools? Did Tsunade-sama just decide that?"

"Yeah, she accepted the offer with two other schools that will be performing. But don't worry Itachi, she'll set up the extra equipment the night before since it's so unexpected."

Itachi sighed in relief. "That's good, but what are the other schools?"

"Oto Academy and Suna High School," Pein replied.

The Uchiha's eyes darkened, but he continued with his calm tone. "So, Sasuke may attend?"

"Yes."

Deidara joined in. "But Suna High School is so small! Why are they coming here?"

Pein turned to Deidara. "Since Oto Academy isn't as large as Konoha High School, they requested Suna to join them as an entire group. It's all for fun anyway, so please try not to get too overworked, okay?"

The clock ticked on the wall and Pein picked up the boys' dishes. "Well, if you're all spending the night then you should get to bed!"

"We thought we could stay up all night since we're with you, Pein-sensei," Deidara answered with a grin.

Pein flipped the lights off and walked to his bedroom door. "I'm old and I need sleep. You guys can stay up and watch TV, but I'm going to bed." He opened his door and shut it before they could say another word to him.

"You know for a single guy, he really does know a lot of stuff," Hidan said, opening a new bag of chips.

"Yeah, so let's turn on the TV and continue to stay up until the sun rises!" Deidara exclaimed, pressing the power button on the remote.

Itachi awoke to a foot pressed against his face. He pushed Hidan's foot off the couch and moved into the kitchen. He pulled out the kitchen chair and sat with his elbows on the table.

"_I must have passed out after the movie..." _he thought, looking over his body for any signs that the boys could have pranked him.

The hinges of Pein's front door squeaked and he watched as Konan slipped silently through. She tip-toed into the kitchen and gasped in surprise as she finally noticed Itachi.

"Were you waiting for me?" she asked, quietly.

Itachi shook his head. "No, I didn't even know you were coming to visit today. The club, excluding Sakura, spent the night here."

Konan's amber eyes narrowed at the highschooler. "Isn't it against school policy for students to visit teachers off-duty?"

The Uchiha smiled. "I won't tell if you won't tell."

She blushed and her eyes moved around the room. "I just came to visit! Don't get the wrong idea from this. We aren't even dating, Itachi-san!"

"No need to explain, Konan-sensei, but could you spare some time to answer a few questions?" He motioned her to take a seat across from him.

She agreed and waited for the boy's questions. "Konan-sensei, you were in high school when you found out you liked Pein-sensei. What made you realize you liked him? Did he do anything to push you into a certain direction or what?"

Konan smiled. "Pein-kun and I had a lot in common - we were both alone and often bullied. Yahiko-kun brought us both together and we spent almost everyday that way Before Yahiko died, he made me promise to confess my affection to Pein. But even before that time, I acknowledged him as boyfriend material because he was himself and had all the assets I looked for in a boy. I guess you could say, that I realized I liked him when he started opening up more and showed me who he really was."

"So, you're saying that once he started acting like his one, true self that's when you liked him?"

She nodded her head. "Yes."

"But what if he acted that way from the beginning? I act like myself everyday, but nothing changes! She's too innocent and doesn't think about boyfriends or wanting one." He rested his head on the table in frustration.

" 'She'? You mean Sakura-san, right?" Konan guessed.

Itachi grunted in response, but continued to lay his head on the table.

"Something that helped me was having a friend that I could actually confide in. Yahiko-kun didn't have the same feelings as Pein-kun, so it was easy to confess. As long as you have a neutral friend, it may help ease her in. Just make sure it is someone you can trust with your life and not just your secrets," Konan explained.

He swiftly stood up and shook the woman's hand. "Konan-sensei that is a brilliant idea. I thank you very much for that advice."

"Eh, you're welcome?"

Itachi hurried to the sleeping boys and roughly woke them up. Hidan rubbed his eyes and glared angrily at the Uchiha.

"You ass! What do you want so early?" he growled.

"Let's hurry up, everyone. I have an emergency meeting that each of us need to attend about Sakura-chan," Itachi announced.

Deidara ran his fingers through his blonde hair. "What about her, hm?"

"We need to find her a girl friend!"

The boys rushed through the door, leaving Konan alone in the kitchen. She pulled herself up from the chair and walked throughout Pein's home. The living room was messy with chips spread out on the floor and used blankets sprawled on the couch and armchairs. She rested her hand on Pein's doorknob and opened it.

She yelled lovingly as she entered the room. "Pein-kun! I've come to wake you up again!"


	20. With Who?

(Two days later at Konoha High School)

"Why does she need a new friend? Aren't we good enough?" Deidara asked, unsure of the idea.

Itachi shook his head. "No, we have to try and find a female friend. I've read in some teenage girl magazines that they often confide in other girls. We may be able to push Sakura-chan into the direction we want to. If that is possible, we'll become boyfriend material!" He raised his fist triumphantly.

"Why are you acting so dramatic today?" Sasori asked.

"Well, I borrowed some Shoujo manga books from the library and the male protagonist often strikes poses and acts very flamboyant," he replied, pulling out the books.

"Back to the discussion, Itachi-kun?" Kisame suggested, pushing the books back to the president.

Itachi cleared his throat. "I texted Sakura-chan to meet us here so we can have the entire discussion as a club, but I will say that if she does make a new friend, this person will, obviously, not be allowed to be a member of the Student Council. Their position will only be used as someone to receive information from Sakura-chan and then back to us. We mustn't explain that part to Sakura-chan though. Deal?"

Hidan acted uncomfortably with the idea. "You promise that this will make all of our chances better?"

"I wouldn't lie to you," Itachi assured.

They formed a circle and joined hands in the center. "Now, when Sakura-chan arrives we'll tell her of our concerns!" Itachi announced.

"What are guys doing? Some kind of Student Council ritual?" Sakura joked, walking towards the group.

"Actually, Sakura-chan, we wanted to talk about something with you," Itachi began, pulling the girl into the group.

"About what?" she asked, slightly nervous.

"We decided it would be best if you had at least one girl friend," Itachi stated.

Sakura laughed and spoke in a teasing manner, "Oh? Are you guys not good enough for me?"

"That's what I said!" Deidara yelled.

"It's not that, Sakura-chan. It's just that we're boys and we don't know all the stuff girls go through and thought it would be best if you had at least one girl to talk to," Itachi reasoned.

Sakura thought for a moment and shrugged her shoulders with indifference. "It doesn't matter to me, really. If you guys want to, I can find a girl to hang out with."

Itachi pulled out a notebook and flipped to a page. "Thank you, Sakura-chan. Now, we've already got an idea for some girls to apply for the position as your -"

"Wait, wait, wait! You can't just apply to be a friend! It just happens, you know?" Sakura broke in.

Itachi blinked. "We only want the best for you. What if some girl wasn't the right fit? We're going to make them fill out a simple survey that has your likes and dislikes on it and other interests."

Kakuzu rested his hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Trust us, Sakura-chan."

The girl heaved a heavy sigh. "Fine, but I'm not entirely sure if this is right."

"It's okay, Sakura-chan. You can thank us later," Itachi replied.

The bell rang and they separated to their classes. Itachi, however, turned the corner to reach the principal's office. When Sakura took her seat, the intercom buzzed on and Itachi's voice rang out.

"Attention female students, this is the Student Council President, Itachi Uchiha. Sakura Haruno, a freshman, is in desperate need of a friend to share talks with. During lunch today, I will be handing out surveys that will possibly match you up with her, so please visit the Student Council room. Thank you for taking the time to listen to this announcement." The intercom shut off and the entire class turned to Sakura.

Her face was burning and she knew that her skin was likely the same shade as a tomato. She heard snarky remarks beside her and noticed a smug smirk on Ino.

Kakashi-sensei stacked his quiz papers. "Well, you all heard the announcement... Let's get started, shall we?"

Sakura walked with Deidara to the club's room. "I can't believe he said that!" she exclaimed, still very embarrassed from the announcement.

Deidara patted her back. "Itachi-kun is just like that, Sakura-chan. You know he's kind of oblivious to those kinds of feelings."

The two were surprised to find a large group of girls invading the room. They noticed Kakuzu and Hidan sitting against the wall and walked over.

"You mean to tell me all these girls are here to take the survey?" Deidara asked.

Hidan nodded his head and frowned, "Yeah, but they're blocking the room so we can't get in! Such rude bitches here!"

Itachi's voice was heard from the room. "Please, ladies! Everyone form an orderly line so other club members can enter the room!" The girls quickly obeyed and created a line that reached back to the end of the hallway.

Sakura and the other three hurried past the girls and sat down in their usual seats. "Senpai, this is quite the crowd..." Sakura pulled the case off of her bento and began eating.

Itachi smiled. "A large turnout always brings back good results, Sakura-chan." He continued to hand out surveys to each girl.

After a girl received her survey, she would run back in line and add a little comment to speak to the president.

"Senpai, I would love to spend some time with you and Sakura-chan!"

"Itachi-kun, you're so brilliant to think of this!"

"I'll be her friend forever if you go out with me!"

Sakura sipped down her drink and watched as a few familiar faces walked in the door to receive a paper. She dropped the can of soda as a blonde ponytail bobbed up and down as the girl entered the room.

"Ino? What are you doing in here?" she questioned.

Ino blew a piece of hair out of her face and smirked. "I just wanted to see how many girls actually came here and it looks like a lot. Too bad it's more for the eye candy and not to be your friend."

Itachi turned to the girl. "I'm sorry, Yamanaka-san, but you're not allowed in this room. I'll have to ask you to leave."

Ino rolled her eyes and walked to the door. "It's a shame you have to go to such low levels to find friends, Sakura. It's quite embarrassing too. I almost feel sorry for you."

"Hey, fuck you! Cherry-chan has friends! We just want her to have a girl or two to speak with! Get your fat ass out of here before I kick it out!" Hidan yelled. The freshman was fuming, but left the room without another word.

The line of girls dwindled until the bell rang for lunch to end. Sakura stood up to leave, but was caught off guard by Itachi blocking the door.

"The bell rang, senpai. Let's go back to class."

Itachi shook his head. "Today, you're going to skip your afternoon classes and help organize the surveys."

Skip class? Skip that many classes?

"I would love to, but it's against regulations and I could get in big trouble." She reached for the handle, but Itachi dragged her back to her seat.

"Skipping because you don't want to learn is bad, but we're not delinquents, Sakura-chan. Since we're members of the Student Council, we are permitted to take time out of our school day on certain occasions. Now, help us sort through these surveys. Anyone with a score between zero and six are sorted into the discard pile. Anything else with a score higher is sorted into the collection pile." He handed her a large stack of papers and sat down at the head of the table.

"I didn't know we had that privilege," she stated.

"It's only at certain times, Sakura-chan. Itachi-kun asked permission before he read off his announcement," Kisame replied.

She nodded in acceptance and read through each girl's survey. Many scored below six and were discarded while only a few were set into the collection pile.

"There aren't many here that share many likes with me, senpai," Sakura said, finishing her pile.

"Yeah, I only had three out of fifty-eight," Sasori stated.

"Well, let's just dive into the ones that are in the collection, okay?" Itachi ran through the names.

"There's a girl named Tenten... She's a junior and she didn't seem to want to date Itachi," Kakuzu said, handing the survey over.

"Yeah, but she's not very noticable when it comes to these kinds of things," Itachi objected.

Deidara raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean? She's a girl and scored a nine!"

"All I'm saying is she doesn't stand out and, let's face it, won't grab enough attention even if she did become friends with Sakura-chan," Itachi explained.

Deidara picked up one of his papers. "How about Hinata Hyuuga? She scored a seven."

"The Hyuuga family has some serious problems with outsiders. Just look at her cousin! He's a complete jerk to anyone," Itachi argued.

Deidara sighed and glared at the president. "How about-"

"No!" Itachi yelled out.

"What? But I didn't even say a name?!" Deidara yelled back.

"You're right, I apogize, Deidara-kun. Please continue."

"Ayame Ichiraku." Deidara finished.

Itachi shook his head again. "No, she won't do."

Deidara threw his papers in the air. "Gah! I'm done throwing out names and getting rejected! I'm getting a drink." He stomped out of the room and down the hallway.

The other members called out names, but Itachi continued to reject each.

"Maybe this was a bad idea... I shouldn't have let you all talk me into this," Itachi mumbled.

"What the hell, Itachi?! It was your idea to begin with!" Kisame shouted.

Sakura waved her hands. "Hey, guys, it's alright! I don't really need a girl to talk with! All of you are perfectly fine and I don't get along well with most girls anyway."

"But Sakura-chan, we're all guys... How can you talk about girl stuff if you're always around us?" Sasori asked.

Sakura's eyes looked around the room. "I don't usually talk about girl stuff anyway. That's probably why I didn't have that many girl friends to begin with."

The ringing of the bell startled them. A herd of students ran out into the hallway and back to their cubbies to switch their shoes.

"It's already time to leave?" Deidara asked, surprised.

"Well, we'll discuss this during the club as well. Let's go stretch our legs first," Itachi ordered, walking out the door.

The group roamed the hallways and noticed a slender, young woman and two men speaking to Kakashi-sensei. The woman turned around and waved enthusiastically at the boys.

"Wow, it's been awhile, guys!" she called, walking over.

Itachi stared for a moment and suddenly slapped his hand to his forehead. "I didn't recognize you, Hana-chan. Or... should I call you 'Hana-san'?"

Hana laughed. "It doesn't matter. So, are you all doing your Student Council jobs?" Her eyes drifted to the pink-haired freshman.

She bent down slightly and smiled. "A new member? And it's a girl?! That's a surprise, so who is she?"

Itachi pulled her over to face Hana. "This is Sakura Haruno. She has taken the role as the Mascot for the club."

Hana stretched out her hand and shook Sakura's happily. "I'm Hana Inuzuka. I'm Kiba's older sister."

"Oh, it's nice to meet you. Kiba's a very nice boy - we share the same homeroom," Sakura replied, shyly.

The two boys met with Hana and stood together as a pair. "Are you picking on the freshman, Hana-chan?" one of them teased.

Hana smiled and punched his arm playfully. "These two are Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki. They're a bit daft, but they're quite friendly if you feed them."

Kotetsu sneered at Hana. "Hana-chan isn't so bad either... Once you get passed the terrible stench of animal piss and old, cat litter."

Itachi turned to Sakura. "These three were members the same time as my cousin Shisui was. Hana-chan was the Vice President and Kotetsu and Izumo shared roles as Committee Rep's."

"It was fun too... So, you guys want to hang out for a while? We're planning on hanging around the park or other places," Hana offered.

Itachi searched for any opposing expressions and accepted her offer. "We'll be happy to come, Hana-chan."

The group of ten arrived at the old park and sat down on the soft earth near the playground. Hana looked around with the same smile that had been on her face since her arrival. "I really love this place. It's so nice to just come back to your hometown and have all those memories return to you."

"Are you going to settle down here once you've found a man?" Kotetsu joked.

Hana turned to him, her smile widening. "I hope so..."

Izumo snickered. "Yeah right, we're going to all stay single for the rest of our lives."

Itachi frowned. "Why speak such a way? Everyone has another half just waiting for them."

Hana watched as a few children played on the jungle gym. "Sometimes it's too late to wait."

Kotetsu immediately knew that the mood was changing and stood himself up. "Hey, guys! Let's go down to the creek! I bet I can grab more frogs than any of you."

Izumo joined him. "Yeah, let's go!"

Hana laid down on the ground. "Nah, I'm okay. I'll stay here."

The boys stood up and Itachi turned to Sakura. "Are you coming, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura shook her head and scooted closer to Hana. "I'll stay here too. I'm not that into frogs," she laughed. Itachi smiled and hurried to catch up with the others.

"Those boys have changed dramatically since I've last seen them," Hana admitted.

The pinkette laid down next to the woman. "They have?"

Hana nodded, staring up at the clear, blue sky. "Itachi was so serious back then and barely spoke. You'd think he was a mute or something. On the way here, he acted like such a dunce."

Sakura laughed, "Yeah, he's like that a lot."

"The other boys I don't much about, but they seem pretty cool and friendly. Hanging out, even for a day, with you guys makes me feel like a teenager again," Hana added.

She looked on and continued to let all her past memories flood her thoughts. "Those were the days when I really thought I was going to have anything I wanted..."

Sakura sat up. "But you still can, Hana-san. You're not some old woman."

Hana laughed dryly. "I messed up a lot in my highschool days, Sakura. I know I won't get back what I lost back then."

She turned to Sakura with a sorrowful smile on her face. "Just don't make the same mistakes I did."

"What mistakes? You seem to be doing fine with a good job and great friends. Like senpai said: 'Why speak in such a way?' " Sakura was growing confused by her sudden change in attitude.

"He also said that everyone has another half waiting for them... But I ruined that many years ago," she paused, hesitating for a moment, and turned to Sakura again.

"Shisui Uchiha had fallen in love with me back in highschool," she revealed.

Sakura was surprised. "Shisui Uchiha?" She knew he had the same position as Itachi and were relatives, but Itachi never spoke much about him.

Hana smiled. "But I didn't realize it... I was too stupid to ever see it even though it was all right in front of my face." Sakura waited for the woman to continue speaking.

The veterinarian inhaled deeply and blinked back regretful tears. "He was too shy to speak out his feelings for me, but, like I said, I was an idiot and only recognized it as being friendly. When I realized I felt the same way, it was too late... Shisui was already dating someone and was soon-to-be married. I've hated myself ever since for losing him. Sure, I've dated before, but it just didn't feel right without him. I couldn't bring myself to date after trying four other times. I've been single for a long time now and I feel that's what I deserve."

Hana lifted her head and faced Sakura. "I know you're just a freshman, but if there's a boy you like - don't hesitate, just do what your heart tells you! Your dad would probably try to kill me if he heard me say anything, but please don't let your naivete block out a love that could be right in front of you!" She wiped a stray tear running down her own cheek.

As soon as she finished speaking, the boys came back with Kotetsu and Izumo covered in a thick layer of mud. "What happened to you?" she asked, plugging her nose from the terrible odor.

"We fell in the creek and landed in a giant, mud pile. Seriously, it was never this bad when we were kids," Izumo complained.

Itachi headed over to Sakura and handed her a single, purple flowered stem. "It's a piece from a Shirane-Aoi plant. They grow mostly in June and I thought this piece of the plant was exceptionally beautiful. Do you like it?"

He plucked it from her hand and pulled back her hair to place it behind her ear. "Green eyes are shone more brightly when accompanied by anything purple or brown," he explained.

She blushed as he stepped back and admired the young girl. Hana glanced at her and smiled. "You look beautiful. Doesn't she look absolutely breath-taking?" She turned to the other highschool boys and found each a hint of blush on their cheeks.

"_I guess she has more on her plate than I expected. I thought only Itachi liked her, but this entire group of boys? Man, maybe I shouldn't have given out my advice!"_ Hana thought.

The Inuzuka stood up and walked to her friends. "We'll come back and visit during the Sports Festival. Do your best because we'll be rooting for you!"

"That's great. It was nice to see you all again," Itachi answered.

Hana walked over to Itachi and looked down at the ground in embarrassment. "Oh, and can you tell Shisui-kun that I send my love? Just as an old friend, of course."

Itachi nodded his head and waved to the trio as they walked back to the school. He turned to the setting sun and at his phone for the time.

"Well, the Sports Festival is in a few days, so we better get some rest. We'll be doing a lot of work once the time comes," he reminded.

Sakura walked home with Itachi. The purple flower stem was still behind her ear as they approached her doorstep.

"Hana-san and the boys are really nice. I'm glad I met them today," she said, her hand on the doorknob.

"Me too." There was silence as the two occasionally looked around.

"Senpai, I want to say thank you for giving me the chance to join the club," she blurted out.

Itachi turned to her and smiled. "I'm glad you accepted my offer, Sakura-chan. You're a lot of fun and you make each of us very happy." He climbed up the stairs to her and wrapped his arms around her.

Her legs wobbled while he tighted his hold around her small shoulders. She slowly placed her hands around his back and nestled into the hug.

"You have all made me feel so wanted... I've never felt so important in my life," she confessed.

"We've all changed due to your presence. You make us feel just as important and special. Don't ever forget that." He stepped down and took out his phone.

"I've got to go. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" He waved good-bye and walked down the street to his home.

"Bye," she mumbled softly.

She hurried to her room and jumped on her fluffy mattress. Kizashi could hear the noises from upstairs and turned to his wife.

"What's up with that girl?" he grumbled.

Mebuki smiled. "Isn't it obvious? She's in love!"

Kizashi flipped to the next page in his book. "Yeah, but with who?"

* * *

**A/N:**

**For some reason, I really just wanted to add those three to my story, but I had NO idea where to put them.**

**Well, now you know that Sakura is in love, but the crazy part it could be with ANY OF THEM! Or all of them! Haha, just kidding. That's not what this FF is about, 'kay?**

**Oh, and I changed the cover photo. Just in case people care about that lol.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed and keep reading! :)**


	21. The Sports Festival!

"Welcome to Konoha High School's Annual Sports Festival! We are happy to have visiting schools participating this year, so please give them a warm welcome! Remember, the Sports Festival is an opportunity to work well with your peers and to create memories that last forever. Now, I will let Orochimaru-san, headmaster of Oto Academy and representative of Suna High School, finish the opening ceremony!" Tsunade clapped as she stepped backwards to let the other school official onto the stage.

Orochimaru made his way to the front of the audience and began his speech. "Thank you, Tsunade-san. I'm honored to share this day with Konoha High School. Please, let us enjoy our time together and show off the hard work we've accomplished as schools." The audience cheered as the two principals shook hands.

Tsunade continued to smile, but hissed through her teeth. "It's too bad we can't participate, Orochimaru-san. I would whip your ass like I did when we were kids!"

Orochimaru laughed, "Oh, but you're an old woman now, Tsunade-san. We don't want you breaking a hip."

A vein bulged in her forehead at the insult, but she continued with the polite façade. He cringed as her grip tightened, forcing his bones in his hand to scrape against each other.

"Call me 'old woman' one, more time and I'll make sure to rearrange your face in the way it'd look most flattering."

The two principals walked off stage, Orochimaru holding his aching hand, and called out for each school to separate for their own calisthenics.

Itachi poked Kisame's side. "Have you seen Sakura-chan yet?"

"The girls are getting dressed now. Why? Do you want to see Sakura in her gym clothes?" Kisame had a teasing smirk on his face.

Itachi reddened. "No! I was just wanting to make sure she was still going to stand by us during calisthenics."

Deidara laughed hearing the conversation. "You don't have to lie, Itachi-kun. We're all excited to see her in those small bloomers."

"I will admit, I've never seen her wear her gym uniform, but I really want her to stand by us during the exercises too," Itachi replied, sheepishly.

Hidan drooled. "Yeah, that loose-fitting top... We'll be able to see her boobs bounce more!"

Kakuzu pushed his friend. "Why do you always say things like that?! You're making us all think about it!"

It was true. The boys, being of age and curious, always thought about sexual fantasies even as minor as bouncing breasts. But at this moment, getting excited wouldn't be the best time since they were also wearing their thin-fabric shorts and white gym shirt.

They could hear girls talking and squealing from the school and watched as they met with their school's group. They spotted Sakura pulling her hair in a high ponytail and fixing the elastic on the waist of her brief-style bloomers.

"Sakura-chan! Hurry up and come over here!" Kisame yelled, waving his hand to show his location.

She smiled and ran to meet them. Her breasts bounced lightly as she made her way through the crowd of students. The boys couldn't help, but stare at her - their eyes darted to another location as she stopped a few feet away.

Deidara and Sasori pushed through Itachi and Kisame to speak with her. "Are you excited for your first, highschool Sports Day?" Deidara asked, grinning.

Sakura nodded. "I'm so ready to do this! I've been looking at the schedule this entire week and I'm happy that I can participate in almost all of the events!"

Sasori smiled. "It's easy for you to compete because you're a member of the Student Council. Just make sure to have fun and try your best."

The seniors stepped forward and joined the group. "What are you most excited for, Sakura-chan?" Kisame asked.

"Probably dodgeball or the road relay race!" she exclaimed.

Hidan pounded his fist against his open palm. "I'm ready for the first event! I'm so going to use all my strength to beat those cruddy teachers!"

Kakuzu closed his eyes and shook his head. "Why waste all of your energy on the first event? I'm sure that isn't a wise decision..." He bent down to reach Sakura's eye level. "Sakura-chan, don't forget to rest during the break so you have energy for the race, alright?"

He grabbed the bag that was strapped over his shoulder and pulled out a drink. "I've got drinks for all of us since they cost so much money here."

Hidan sighed, "You're so cheap!"

Sakura smiled and grabbed the bottle to pack it back in the bag. "It's actually a good idea. Look, he even has an ice pack in here to keep the drinks cool. Thanks, Kuzu-kun!"

Itachi raised his eyebrow. "Kuzu-kun?"

Sakura laughed nervously. "I decided last night it would be interesting to make up nicknames for some of you guys..."

"What's mine?" Deidara asked, bouncing on his heels.

"Actually, I only thought of Kakuzu's... Sorry!"

Kakuzu stood silently with his arms folded across his chest. From his outward appearance, he didn't seem very interested, but inside, his heart was dancing in his chest. It may not be a unique nickname, but when she spoke it, his heart beat faster than a hummingbird's wings.

"Alright, Konoha students! We will begin our exercises now! Gai-sensei will lead you while the teachers join in after preparing the first event! Just follow the same routine as if it was gym class. Now, let's start the Sports Festival!" Tsunade announced with her loud, booming voice.

Gai-sensei stepped out in gym clothes that greatly resembled the students. "Everyone, for a nice, cardio workout, we'll start with our jumping jacks!" He immediately began jumping up and down with his arms reaching high over his head and his legs spreading outwardly.

As they exercised, Sakura couldn't help, but express her disgust. "I never want to see him dressed like this again."

"Atleast it's only once a year," Itachi reasoned.

The boys surrounded around her and did their exercises in a small circle. Sakura's chest would bounce up and down as her feet landed together. She focused solely on Gai-sensei's instructions and counting that she had no idea of the boys' lowered gaze.

She continued to propel herself in the air with the jumping jacks and finally realized the boys were staring at her. She immediately covered her chest and blushed.

"Stop looking at me!" she shrieked.

"Cherry-chan, you're a girl and we're boys. It's kind of in our nature to do that," Hidan argued while continuing with the jumping jacks.

Her eyes flashed with anger at Hidan's statement. "That's a terrible excuse. You shouldn't point to a gender-based stereotype! You should actually control your perverted thoughts! Perverts!" She stepped away and turned her back to them so they could no longer stare at her chest.

"After a good cardio, it's always nice to do a few leg stretches! So, let's spread our legs wide and reach down to touch our toes!" Gai-sensei spread his feet far enough to reach the ground with his bottom and began touching the tips of his tennis shoes.

Sakura stretched and bent down to reach her toes. Being very flexible, she didn't have to spread her feet very far apart to reach her toes. Unknown to her, the boys had a perfect view of her small, rounded bottom. It was so cute how tiny it was, but then again, her entire body was very small. She seemed a late bloomer, yet the boys knew she was growing by her enlarging bust size.

She never talked about that sort of stuff, but the boys would constantly have their eyes on her. At the beginning of the year, she resembled a middle school student with her size and innocence, but now she seemed to act different and look different.

Gai-sensei continued shouting out new exercises for the entire student body while the other schools performed their own calisthenics.

"Why did they place the dodgeball competition so late on the schedule?" Sasuke asked, stretching down to his ankles.

The senior beside him smirked. "It's alright, Sasuke. Konoha High School apparently thinks they're so much better than any other school. We'll show them that they're dead wrong!"

After the stretching and cardio, Tsunade announced the first event - Tug of War, teachers versus seniors.

Kakashi took the end of the rope and received an annoyed glare from Kurenai. "What?" he asked, innocently.

"You take the back because you don't want to work as hard as the other teachers!" she growled.

Asuma chuckled. "Don't worry, Kurenai-san. He'll regret it."

Itachi gripped the rope and readied himself for the activity. Hidan stood behind him and had both of his hands tightly around the rope.

"We're going to win for sure against these geezers!" he boasted.

Kakuzu poked his head out from the line. "You do realize that they are only ten years older than us, right?"

Kisame sighed, "Can't we just get this over with?"

The boys turned their attention to the group surrounding the event. Sakura, Sasori and Deidara waved their hands in the air and cheered loudly.

"You can do it! Beat the pants off of those teachers!" Sakura shouted.

The senior boys blushed and turned to the other seniors. "Let's show these faculty members who rule the school!" Itachi exclaimed. The seniors agreed with cries of enthusiasm. When Tsunade yelled 'go' an intense battle of control came over each side of the rope.

"Anko-san, make sure not to step over the line!" Kurenai yelled.

"How is that possible?! The ratio of teachers to seniors is majorly uneven!" Anko growled.

Gai was pulling the rope with all his strength. "Don't give up, Anko-san! Remember, the power of youth is still inside of us!"

"Yeah? Then why are my legs being dragged across the line?!" Anko screamed, digging her heels into the earth.

The seniors yelled in excitement as teacher by teacher drifted over the line. Kakashi was the last behind the line while his co-workers ordered him to try. Their mouths dropped in disbelief as they found him reading and barely holding the rope.

Kakashi turned to see his feet near the line. "Eh." He jumped over the line and dropped the rope.

Tsunade smacked her forehead. "Erghh, I suppose this victory goes to the seniors..."

Itachi and the others exchanged high-fives. The club members turned to Sakura and smiled brightly.

She returned with a beautiful smile of her own. "You did it! I knew you could!"

Deidara patted Itachi on the shoulder. "The way Kakashi-sensei acted was hilarious! I can't believe he did that!"

Hidan stretched his legs and cracked his knuckles. "Next, is the 100 meter dash! I'm so going to win this!" A junior boy with a bowl-cut walked past Hidan and faced Sakura. His round eyes glittered with a fiery passion as he stared silently at her.

"Yes?" she asked.

He pulled out a rose and grinned, showing two rows of sparkling, white teeth. "Sakura-chan, student from class 2 - A! I promise on my heart that I will win this race! When I do, I shall take you out on a beautiful hill, overlooking Konoha, and share a picnic lunch with you, my beautiful flower!"

"What?!" the boys yelled. They walked over to threaten him, but Tsunade announced the next event.

"I must go, Sakura-chan, but I promise you will see my torso cross the finish line first!" He bowed respectfully and walked to the starting line.

The boys exchanged irritated and jealous expressions. They whispered as they went to the line. "I can't believe that he thinks he can win this race," Hidan growled.

"Who is he anyway?" Kisame asked.

"He is Rock Lee, a junior that idolizes Gai-sensei to the point he dresses like him," Sasori answered.

Hidan laughed. "That fool isn't going to beat me! I can run as fast as a cheetah!"

They took their spots while Itachi and Sakura waited near the outdoor bleachers. "Senpai, why aren't you running?"

Itachi turned to her and smiled. "I can't run very fast, but it's alright. I don't mind watching them run."

Sakura thought it was strange that he wasn't participating, but nobody seemed to be bothered too much by his absence on the track.

"Where are the other schools? Won't they be participating with us?"

"They're having their own Sports Day on the soccer field. We'll be sharing the same events with them after the break."

Tsunade blew her whistle and the boys in each year raced down the track. Rock Lee sped past everyone; his legs pushing hard against the track. The other boys watched in awe as he quickly made his way to the finish line.

The other boys gasped for breaths although the distance was rather short. "Wow, Lee-san, that's a new school record. Congratulations," Tsunade said, marking down a point for the juniors.

Sasori turned to Deidara and smiled. "Well, we didn't really need to do much. It's very fortunate for us to have him in our year."

"Yeah, then we'll be able to get our picture with the trophy this year!"

"Oh, you've got one point. Don't act like you're already in the lead," Hidan snapped.

Rock Lee made his way to Sakura. "Sakura-chan, we can go on our date!"

Hidan raised his fist. "Like hell you will!" The boys held him back as Rock Lee continued to ignore him.

Sakura tried her best to smile. "I'm sorry, Lee, but I don't want to go on a date with you."

Rock Lee's expression dropped to sorrow and his eyes dulled with the hate of rejection. "What?! B-but you agreed, didn't you?" he stammered.

"You assumed that I did, but I don't like you in that way, Lee. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings." She watched, concerned, as he ran away with tears running down his cheeks.

Sasori crossed over to her. "Don't act too worried, Sakura-chan. He's really emotional, but it's funny... I never knew he liked you."

"Who likes who?" Hana's voice called out.

Itachi turned to her. "Oh, Rock Lee, a junior. He tried to ask Sakura-chan on a date."

Kotetsu laughed, "That's hilarious! Was he the kid running around with those giant eyebrows?"

"Yeah, but atleast he seemed confident enough in himself," Sakura commented.

Hana nodded and turned to hear Tsunade's next announcement for the girls' turn at the 100 meter dash. "You better get going, Sakura-san. We'll be cheering you on."

Sakura hopped down to the line and waved up at the boys. Kotetsu admired the girls' uniforms. "They've changed a few things since we've graduated, eh, Izumo-kun?"

"Yeah, weren't your bloomers longer than that, Hana-chan?" Izumo asked.

Itachi turned to the trio. "They changed them two years ago."

"Probably one of the perverted, male school board members," Hana grumbled with distaste.

Sakura lowered herself and turned to see Ayame Ichiraku staring at her. Ayame had a fascinated expression on her face.

"Is something wrong?" Sakura asked.

"I was just thinking how lucky you are, Sakura-san," Ayame spoke.

"Why?" Sakura was expecting an insult or a mocking statement.

"That Itachi-kun chose you out of every girl to be his girlfriend," she replied.

Sakura's eyes darted around the track while her face grew hot. "We aren't dating! We're just friends." Her gaze searched the crowd and found the president staring down at her. He smiled and raised his hand to wave.

Sakura waved back and turned to Ayame. "I don't know what makes you think that, but we really aren't."

Ayame's face brightened. "Really? So, that means I can ask him out, right? If you really are just friends, you wouldn't mind it?"

Tsunade blew the whistle and the girls ran down the track. Sakura reached Ayame and continued to chat. "I wouldn't care if you did, but don't you think if he actually did like you, he would have asked you out by now?"

Ayame gritted her teeth. "Oh, the sound of your voice has changed, Sakura-san. Do I detect jealousy in your tone?"

Sakura's blush darkened from a light pink to a deep red. "I'm not jealous!"

"You like him, don't you?" Ayame nagged.

"No, I don't! Stop bothering me!" Sakura raced past Ayame and sped to second place, finally reaching the finish line.

Tsunade walked over to the winner, Tenten, and shook her hand. "Good job, Tenten. You scored another point for the juniors."

Tenten bowed. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama."

Sakura trudged back to the boys. "Wow, you can run fast!" Deidara exclaimed. He noticed an annoyed glint in her eyes and quickly acknoweldged it.

"Are you okay?"

She turned to see if anyone was hearing in on their conversation and spoke quietly to him. "Deidara-kun, Ayame Ichiraku was really pissing me off. She was saying that I liked senpai."

Deidara stepped backwards hearing her whispering words. "Do... you?" he gulped.

Sakura stomped her foot. "No! That's what I was trying to say, Deidara-kun!"

He could feel his muscles relax as she angrily denied it. "That's really great, hm."

Her green eyes narrowed. "Why?" She leaned forward.

His muscles stiffened again. "I was just saying that b-because... Sakura-chan, I can't take it anymore! I've been wanting to tell you this for a long time-" Sasori quickly made his way over to Deidara and covered his mouth.

"Hello, Sakura-chan. Deidara and I need to go get ready for the next event. We'll be right back afterwards." He pulled Deidara away and stopped near the field.

"What were you thinking? You know you can't yell out your feelings to her!" Sasori hissed.

Deidara groaned loudly and slapped his hands to his head repeatedly. "This is killing me, Sasori-kun! It's not fair that we have to stay quiet and wait for her to confess! What if she's the shy type? What if she wants one of us to say it first?!"

Sasori pushed him to the ground and knealt down beside him. "Deidara-kun, we'll find out when she's ready, okay? You've got to be patient and try to actually flirt with her."

"I compliment her almost everyday, Sasori-kun! What else should I do?"

Sasori looked around the area and back to his friend. "You have to try and _flirt with her_. Make some time alone and share a few, special moments."

"But we never have time alone! We can't create any special bonds with her. The only one that can is Itachi because he walks home with her everyday! Weekends are pretty impossible since we all spend them together as a club," Deidara replied, angrily.

The redhead couldn't think of much to say. "Deidara-kun, how about you make time with her after club activities? Go for a walk in the park, help her with her homework, do something that'll entertain both of you! Itachi doesn't have to walk her home everyday and it's not against the rules to hang out with her."

Deidara pulled out clumps of grass from the ground. "Why aren't you trying any of this, Sasori-kun?"

"I-I don't know! I guess... I might try soon since it's a few months away from the end of second semester... It's just hard to talk with her while we're alone," Sasori answered, embarrassed.

"You'll get your chance soon, Sasori-kun. Just try to crawl out of your shell and prove you can be boyfriend material just as much as Itachi." Deidara stood up and brushed the remaining pieces of grass from his shorts.

Rock Lee stopped near them. "Hey, you two! Let's go to the next event and win against the teachers!"

Deidara and Sasori exchanged smiles and surrounded the boy. "You know, I bet this will be very hard for you, Lee-san," Deidara said, a cruel smile on his face.

Rock Lee was confused. "Why? An obstacle race seems fairly easy."

Sasori shook his head and showed him his sorrowful expression. "Oh, you don't know? You'll have to face off against your beloved teacher - Gai-sensei!"

Lee's immediate response was to shriek in terror. "Gai-sensei?! But why?!"

Deidara stepped closer. "He is a teacher..."

His knees shook and the junior fell to the ground. "Gai-sensei! Forgive me for turning my back on you!"

Deidara and Sasori walked away from the bawling student with smirks on their faces. "He kind of deserves it for making a move on Sakura-chan," Sasori noted.

His blonde friend nodded. "Exactly, Sasori-kun. I'm hoping that one of us wins her, yeah!"

"Whoever does will be a very lucky man."

* * *

The obstacle race was held near the entrance of the school with spectators surrounding the roped fence. Sasori and Deidara each took their place on opposite sides of the race. Tsunade readied them for the rules.

"Alright, the obstacle race is new to the Sports Festival, so let me make the rules clear. I'll blow my whistle and the students and teachers on the north side will start running through holding their egg in their spoon. If you drop your egg, you're disqualified, but if you make it to your partner, you will exchange the egg. Whoever makes it back to the north side wins. Ready?"

Deidara held his egg in the spoon and looked on to his partner. Sasori shot him a thumbs-up and a confident smile. Gai-sensei ran in place and yelled to his partner.

"Kakashi! We are sure to win with my lightening speed!" he boomed.

Kakashi yawned. "Yeah, sure..."

Tsunade blew her whistle and they started through the race. Deidara shifted through the large steps and climbed down with ease. The large netting at his feet was fairly easy to poke through due to his rather small feet. A junior to his side tripped over the last hole in the net and shattered his egg.

"Come on, Deidara-kun!" Sakura yelled out over the roped fence.

He smiled as he heard her cheer along with their other friends. He quickly put the spoon in his mouth and slowly made his way up the rocky incline that stood in front of him. The egg on his spoon wriggled around, sure to fall, but managed to stay as he reached the top. He grabbed the handle again and slid down the other side of the steep incline.

He was amazed to see Gai-sensei flying through the race and closing in on his partner. "_There's no way I'll make it in time_!" he thought, his confidence slipping.

Sasori cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted loudly, "Come on, Deidara! Are you thinking about quitting? Juniors are ahead, so let's keep it that way!"

With his competitive attitude returning, Deidara made his way through the next obstacle with ease. He crawled on his stomach and placed the spoon in his mouth once more. He crawled on his belly using his elbows and knees to push him through another segment of netting. He picked himself up and raced over the next set of large stairs. Finally meeting his partner, Deidara handed him the spoon.

"Damn! Gai-sensei is already giving Kakashi-sensei the egg!" Deidara exclaimed.

Gai quickly handed him the spoon. "Now go, Kakashi! Win the teachers a point and regain your dignity!"

Kakashi turned to his friend with tired eyes. "When did I lose my dignity?" He gripped the spoon tightly around his fingers and shouted a surprised 'Oh!' as the egg wobbled off the spoon and onto the ground.

Gai dropped to his knees. "You've not only lost your dignity! You've lost all of my respect, Kakashi!"

The teacher shrugged and took out his book. "Oh, well, maybe next year?"

Tsunade closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. "Next year, I need to remind myself not to place Kakashi on any team."

Deidara grinned as he stared down at the teacher's broken egg. "What a freakin' miracle! Go, Sasori-kun!" He watched as his friend made his way over the large stairs.

Sasori turned to his right and saw Neji Hyuuga hand Lee the spoon. Although they are in the same class, Sasori wanted to win to show off to Sakura.

"Wow, Sasori-kun against Lee-san? Let's see how this turns out," Itachi commented.

"Sasori doesn't have a chance," Kisame declared.

Sakura hit Kisame in his chest. "Don't talk like that, Kisame-kun! We've got to cheer him on! Go, Sasori-kun!"

The redhead watched in annoyance as Rock Lee swiftly moved underneath the net. If he wanted to win, he had to think fast before Lee made it to the other side.

"Hey, Lee-san," Sasori yelled out.

Lee turned around, still running in place. "Yes?"

"Ergh... Gai-sensei said he would never forgive you if you won against him!" he lied.

Lee raised his large, burly eyebrows. "What? But I have to win or we won't get the point!"

"It's a sacrifice, but I'm willing to have him get angry at me. Just pretend to try your best and let me receive his wrath, alright?" He showed a trusting glimmer in his brown eyes.

"That's so selfless of you, Sasori-kun! Thank you so kindly!" Lee immediately started slowing his pace and let Sasori pass him.

Kisame was shocked. "Wow, Sasori passed him!"

The pinkette turned and smiled proudly. "See? Deidara-kun and Sasori-kun are both very amazing as a team!"

Sasori dipped his feet through the holes of the netting and finally climbed up and down the stairs. He raised his spoon in the air, showing the egg perfectly safe. Tsunade blew her whistle and walked over with her clipboard.

"Very good, Sasori-kun! Another point to the juniors. Keep working hard and you'll get that trophy!" she said, writing the new mark.

He bowed to his principal. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama!"

His friends surrounded him. Deidara and Sakura wrapped their arms around him and smiled widely.

"Sasori, you did it and won for the juniors!" Deidara yelled happily.

Sakura hugged him tightly. "Yeah, you did a great job, Sasori-kun!"

The redhead blushed and smiled. "Thank you, guys."

Kisame leaned over to Itachi and whispered quietly. "She's becoming more touchy-feely hasn't she? When did she start hugging so much?"

Itachi's neck felt hot as he remembered the other night. "I'm not sure."

Sakura released Sasori and continued showing off her sweet smile. "I hope that we atleast gain one point during the Sports Festival!"

"I know you can, Sakura-chan! You're the best girl in this entire school!" Deidara yelled with high enthusiasm.

The girl blushed. "You really think so, Deidara-kun?"

His blue eyes caught sight of her reddened cheeks. "I would never lie to you, Sakura-chan!"

"Well, it is true, Sakura. You are the best." A gruff voice commented from behind the group.

"Haruno-sama, it's a pleasure to see you again," Itachi lied, resisting the urge to run off.

Kizashi placed his hands on his daughter's shoulders. "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, Sakura, are you ready to start the three-legged race?"

Itachi's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, you're both entering?"

Sakura laughed. "Yeah, I knew you were, so I wanted to keep it a secret!"

Itachi's stomach lurched as he heard two pairs of footsteps behind him. "Ah, Itachi! We've been looking everywhere for you!" Mikoto chirped, grabbing her son's arm and hitching it around hers.

"Fugaku-san, Mikoto-san, it's been awhile," Sakura greeted.

Kizashi and Fugaku shared a silent moment. Before Kizashi could speak, Fugaku grabbed Itachi and pulled him towards the next event.

"Come on, Itachi! Let's go and win!"

Mikoto placed her hands on her hips and frowned. "I thought I was supposed to do it!"

"You did it last year, Mikoto. I want to share a good memory with my son!" He smiled down at Itachi and the two hurried to Tsunade.

Kizashi faced Sakura and grabbed her wrists. "Let's go and beat everyone in our path, Sakura!"

She winced slightly at his tight grip. "Yeah, let's try our best."

"We'll be watching!" Deidara yelled.

A rather large group gathered at the track to watch the parents race. Itachi looked around nervously and turned to his father.

"Dad, please don't make a scene, okay?"

Fugaku turned to his son and frowned. "Why would I make a scene? I'm as calm as I possibly can be!"

Kizashi and Sakura tied the rope around their legs. "It's funny how they still have this race, huh Fugaku?" Kizashi stated, finishing the knot.

Fugaku closed his eyes and smiled. "Yes, it is. It seems like yesterday that we were racing with our fathers."

"Yeah, and, of course, I'll win like I did last time," Kizashi taunted through a fake smile.

"Or what, Kizashi? You'll punch someone in the face like you did my son?" Fugaku snarled.

Itachi elbowed his father. "Please, don't start something here..."

Kizashi laughed. "Only if someone talks rudely to me. Why should I be disrespected by a child?"

Fugaku smirked. "Maybe it's because you _are_ a child, Kizashi."

Kizashi felt the anger rise from his stomach, but continued to maintain an unusually calm demeanor. "The only children here are the students participating, Fugaku."

Naruto pulled his mother over and held up the rope. "Come on, Mom! Let's hurry before Old Lady Tsunade blows the whistle!"

Kushina grabbed the rope and tied it around their joined legs. "Calm down, Naruto! It doesn't start for a few, more minutes."

She turned to Fugaku and Kizashi. "Oh, the two rivals from high school are competing today, too? Well, this should end up being an interesting race!" She turned to see Sakura and poked her son in the side.

"Is that the girl you like, Naruto?" she teased.

Naruto round face flushed and the boy slapped his mother's hand away. "Stop it! You're embarrassing me again!"

Kizashi looked down at his daughter. "Why are you so popular with the boys, Sakura?"

Itachi couldn't help, but throw his own thoughts in. "Sakura-chan is very friendly to everyone at school. It's no wonder that boys at school like her so much, Haruno-sama."

Kizashi's eyes trailed over to Itachi. "Do you like her?"

Sakura heard her father's question and immediately shouted out. "Don't ask something like that!"

Fugaku turned to his son and whispered. "Do you?"

"No, Father, I don't," Itachi replied, looking away as he lied.

Fugaku smiled. "You only call me 'father' when you're lying. Don't worry, I won't tell."

Sakura hurried to change the subject and faced Naruto. "So who is the junior supposed to be?"

Naruto shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I hope it isn't Bushy Brows! He wins everything."

"It's me, Sai, from the Art Club." Sai walked over with a young-looking partner.

"Wow, your dad's really young!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sai bent down to tie the ropes. "He's not my father, he's my brother."

Naruto stomped both of his legs, causing his mother to wobble awkwardly. "Hey, that's cheating! This is a parents race!"

"Tsunade-sama allowed it once since the other juniors didn't want to participate," Sai answered.

Sai's brother smiled. "I'm Shin. I graduated a few years ago so atleast I'm a Konoha graduate."

Tsunade walked over. "Is everybody ready?"

Kizashi crossed his arms. "Ready to win!"

Fugaku rolled his eyes. "You wish."

Tsunade blew her whistle and watched as the four pairs raced down to the finish line. Kizashi and Fugaku were stomping along with their children forcefully toddling after.

"Someone as heavy as you can't win! That beer belly of yours will topple over any second!" Fugaku yelled.

Kizashi gritted his teeth and picked up the pace by pulling on Sakura. "Yeah, and sitting on your ass everyday at the police station is really going to help you!"

"You're sweating like a pig!"

"You're making your kid do all the work, Fugaku!"

"No, I'm not you old, fat good-for-nothing!"

The two men wrestled for a leading spot. Their children were practically on the ground, but their heated rivalry was the only thing on their minds.

Tsunade's whistle blew and the two men stopped in their tracks. "What? Who won?" Fugaku asked, surprised.

Kushina and Naruto jumped up and down as they held their rope in the air. Tsunade marked down the freshman's first point and congratulated both of them.

"Hey, the freshmen finally got a point!" Sakura remarked happily.

Fugaku untied the rope and cleared his throat. "Well, that was quite the race. Good job, Itachi."

Itachi panted loudly as his father whispered something in his ear. Itachi nodded and slowly walked over to the benches to sit. A group of girls surrounded him with cups of water and wet towels to cool him off.

Kizashi, already free from the rope, walked to Fugaku and mumbled softly. "Your son isn't right for my daughter. I will do my hardest to make sure they do not come together."

Fugaku watched as he walked away. "You can't stop them, Kizashi. If they do fall in love with each other, they will find a way. They always find a way."

* * *

The final event before their break was an event with the teachers facing off against the freshmen. Sakura chose Naruto as her partner and caused his mother to squeal like a little girl.

Minato grabbed her shoulder. "Kushina, calm down. It's not like she just confessed her undying love to him."

Ino took a spot next to Sakura and snatched her blindfold from Shikamaru. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Sakura's hand raising up to cover her mouth.

"Before you try to say anything to intimidate me... Let me explain that this is supposed to be a fun day that we should all enjoy. We're on the same team so, regardless, the freshman will still win a point no matter who crosses the finish line first. I don't want to hear any insults, okay?" Sakura said, fastening her blindfold over her eyes.

Ino smiled. "Fair enough, Sakura."

Asuma tied the blindfold around Kurenai's eyes. "Okay, now that we don't have Kakashi participating, we might actually win this. So, let's try our best, okay, Honey?"

"Shh! Don't say that out loud, Asuma!" she hissed.

Tsunade blew her whistle and their partners on the other side of the track began yelling out instructions. Each separate row was created differently from the others, so their instructions often confused the blindfolded freshmen and teachers.

"There's a box in front of you! Move two steps to the left and run five steps ahead!"

"No, no! My left! Don't listen to him over there!"

"Sakura-chan, there's a small rope at your feet! Carefully climb over it!"

"Don't go over there! You're almost on the other person's track! No, now you're backwards!"

Sakura tried her best to obey his orders, but the constant yelling of everyone else left her confused. Naruto would yell out right, left, right, left as she stepped over small boxes or long ropes. She was surprised by a set of stairs and fell down as she felt a ramp on the other side.

"This is absolutely crazy!" she yelled out.

She waved her hands in front of her as she continued to waddle through the maze that lay in front of her.

Tsunade blew her whistle and Sakura pulled up her blindfold to see Kurenai and Asuma hugging over their triumphant victory. The couple immediately released as Tsunade walked over.

"We're sorry, Tsunade-sama, we-"

"No need to explain, Asuma-san. You gave the teachers' their first point of the day. Good job." She walked away with a smile on her face. She announced their break and the Student Council met near a group of trees.

Sakura rubbed her sore bottom and moaned, "Gosh, that was terrible! I hope I don't have to do something like that again."

Itachi handed her a bottle of soda from Kakuzu's bag. "You did very well for your first Sports Day," he smiled.

"Yeah, Cherry-chan! You should be really happy since you participated in so much!" Hidan yelled out.

She yawned and took a sip of her soda. "I guess, but I'm really tired."

Sasori elbowed Deidara and motioned him to speak. Deidara smiled nervously and spoke out. "You can take a nap on my shoulder, Sakura-chan!"

The others turned to him with anger burning in their eyes, but Sakura agreed. "Thanks, Deidara-kun, that'll help so much. I want to feel energized for the next events." She crawled through the grass and laid her head on his broad shoulder.

Deidara couldn't shake the butterflies in his stomach and the pounding in his chest. They were actually sharing a moment that felt absolutely perfect. She dozed off minutes later and a young man walked over with a group of others.

Itachi stood up. "I'm sorry, but Konoha students are resting here."

The boy only smiled and fixed his round-framed glasses. "Oh, we're not coming here to rest or anything. We're here to introduce ourselves." He held out his hand and Itachi did the same out of respect.

"My name is Kabuto Yakushi and I'm President of Oto Academy's Student Council. We also have Suna High School's Student Council President with us as well."

A young man with auburn hair and dark rings around his green eyes walked over and nodded his head. "I am Gaara. It's a pleasure to meet you, Itachi Uchiha."

"Yes, it is, Gaara-san. Not to be rude, but is there a reason behind this?" Itachi asked.

Kabuto stepped over. "We wanted to say that we're ready to face your team during the Student Council Relay Race."

Itachi nodded. "Oh, yes, the relay race. Well, it will be very entertaining. May the best team win."

Kabuto turned around with his group. A cruel smile crept over his face. "We plan to, Uchiha."

* * *

Sakura woke up feeling refreshed. Deidara felt her stir from her sleep and turned to her with a smile on her face. "Good sleep, hm?" he asked, his blue eyes glittering bright.

Sakura smiled and rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes. "Yeah, thanks for letting me sleep on your shoulder, Deidara-kun."

Kakuzu reached in his bag and handed her a sandwich. "Here, you need to eat something before we go out for the next event."

The sandwich had teriyaki chicken, lettuce, mayonnaise, and two hamburger buns that held it together. "Wow, you made this Kuzu-kun?! It looks so good!"

Kakuzu zipped up his bag. "it's not really that great, but my mother helped a lot."

"How did you know what I liked?"

He blushed, "I heard you talking about it before and I wanted to make you one..."

She took a bite and let the taste savor. "It's so delicious! Thank you!" She gobbled it down and sighed with a content smile on her face.

"There's one more event for Konoha students only. After that, we will join all three schools and start the last three," Itachi explained, rubbing some crumbs off of her cheek.

Their ears buzzed as Tsunade's loud voice rang throughout the school lot. "The No-Handed Bean Bag Toss is beginning in five minutes. All participants meet in the gymnasium. No points will be offered!"

The boys stood up and Kakuzu held out his hand to help Sakura up. She grabbed his hand and was brought up with ease. She couldn't help, but comment on his large hands.

"They're so big!" she exclaimed.

Kakuzu felt his heart pound again. "My hands?"

"Yeah, I bet you're a good hugger, huh?" She blushed as she turned to see his brow crease in embarrassment.

"I... I'm sorry that sounded weird, didn't it," she mumbled.

He shook his head. "No, it's really okay. I've just never been told that before, so I don't really know what to say. Should I say 'thank you' or something else?"

She shrugged. "I don't really know. It's just when I see big hands... I see a person that can hold me tight and make me feel safe."

She bit her lip and shook her head. "Gah! Sorry that I'm acting so weird!" Her eyes turned to him as she felt him tighten his grip around her small hands.

His gaze softened as he faced her and let himself smile. "I don't think you're weird at all, Sakura-chan."

* * *

Tsunade instructed the students that it was boys versus girls. "The rules are very simple! You cannot throw your bean bags with your hands or you are disqualified. You can use your mouth, feet, head, or any body part that will not get you expelled. Whichever team has the most bean bags in their baskets are the winners." She blew her whistle and the opposing sexes began the game.

Sakura knealt down and grabbed a bag with her mouth. It didn't taste very good, but she ignored the bitterness. She cocked her head and threw it into the basket. The other girls cheered and continued to throw them in their basket.

Deidara took his shoes off and picked up a bean bag with his toes. He kicked his foot up and watched as the bean bag sailed through the air and missed the basket by an inch.

"Dang it! This is a lot harder than I thought!" he yelled.

"The girls seem to be making more baskets than we are," Itachi examined.

Sasori grabbed one with his toes and threw it again. "Yeah, but that's because most of them are using their mouths..."

"I'm not fucking touching my mouth to one of those!" Hidan yelled, trying his best to pick up a bag with his elbow.

They turned their attention to Sakura and watched as she picked up the bean bag and threw it in the basket. "If we don't do something they'll win by a landslide," Kisame stated.

Itachi sighed and finally bent down to stand on his knees. The other boys stared uncomfortably, but decided to copy him and started making easier baskets. Itachi felt embarrassed being down on his knees. It was an act that seemed so submissive and the other boys felt the same way.

Tsunade looked down at her watch and waited as the timer ticked down to zero. She blew her whistle and ordered some volunteer students to count each basket for both teams.

"Tsunade-sama, the girls have over 112 bags while the boys have 84," one of the students announced.

The principal walked over to the participators and raised her hand into the air. "The winner of this year's No-Handed Bean Bag Toss is..." Her hand moved to the girls' side. "The girls!"

The girls jumped up and down and cheered for their victory. Itachi sighed, "We humiliated ourselves for nothing!"

"Yeah, well, they deserved the victory. We shouldn't have gotten so embarrassed," Sasori said, brushing grass off his knees.

Sakura ran over and pointed to the group. "Ha! We beat you!"

Hidan laughed, "You only won 'cause you're always on your knees!" He covered his mouth immediately and turned to his shocked friends.

Something that not many knew, was Sakura's terrible temper. It happened rarely, but once she was mad it was hard to calm her down. She stepped over to Hidan and punched him in the chest. He stepped backwards and felt the throbbing pain in his chest worsen as she hit him again.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to say it!" he yelled out, guarding his face. She pulled her arm back to hit him once more, but Kisame picked her up.

"Let go of me!" she yelled, squirming around in his grasp.

Kisame struggled to hold her. "You know how Hidan is, Sakura-chan. He doesn't think when he says stuff like that!" She finally calmed down enough for Kisame to set her back down on the ground.

"Besides, you can take all your anger out on the other schools in dodgeball," Itachi added.

Kabuto walked passed them. "I doubt it," he said quietly. He turned to them and noticed the tiny girl in their party.

"Where is Zetsu? Is he not a member anymore?" he asked, searching the crowd.

"No, we had to kick him out. Tsunade-sama wanted us to have a girl in our group and here she is - Sakura Haruno." Itachi pushed Sakura in front of him.

Kabuto looked her over and turned to Itachi. "What is she fanservice or something? She's so scrawny and cute."

Itachi's eyes hardened. "No, actually she has an important role on the Student Council."

"Oh?" Kabuto bent down slightly to meet Sakura's gaze. "Are you a Rep or something?"

"No, I'm the Mascot of the Student Council," she answered proudly.

Kabuto couldn't hold in his laughter. "Wow, the Mascot! Tell me, have you dressed up as anything yet?"

She looked away. "Well, for the Cultural Festival I wore-" Kabuto interrupted her with a burst of laughter.

"Stop, stop! This is too hilarious! Can't you see that they're just using you for their own personal gain? A cute girl like you will only be used to bring the Student Council more money by flaunting around in a little, Lolita dress." He walked to the soccer field.

"Face it, you're only an object in their eyes. They like watching you dance around and sooner or later, they will throw you away since you lost your importance. Once graduation comes, you'll be forgotten and they'll move on to the next girl at their university."

Sakura was shocked by this sudden humiliation. She turned to the boys with an unusual smile on her face.

"Sakura-chan, he was just trying to mess with you. Please-"

"I know... But he made a mistake by trying to hurt me because all he did was get me pissed again," she said, interrupting Itachi.

The Uchiha smiled. "Then let's go beat his ass in dodgeball."

* * *

"You're hit and you're out! Easiest rules ever! If you catch the ball then you can bring one person back. Oto Academy and Suna High School versus Konoha High School, let's enjoy the rest of the day!" Tsunade yelled. She took her seat next to Orochimaru.

"Your little academy is going down, Orochimaru-san," she muttered.

Orochimaru chuckled, "We'll see."

Kabuto grabbed the spongy ball and threw it at a girl bending down to get one herself. She yelped in surprise and took her seat at the end of the field. Although Itachi was throwing and catching, his mind was only focused on finding Sasuke through the crowd. His eyes would play tricks on him, thinking he saw him at one side and then the other, but he was nowhere. He quickly ducked to avoid one of Kabuto's throws and threw his own ball.

The bespectacled senior was the target of all of the members of the Student Council. He would have to dodge every few seconds and was growing tired. Sakura grabbed a rolling ball and threw it right into his face. He screamed out and held his nose as he walked over to the sideline.

"Good hit, Cherry-chan!" Hidan hollered, throwing a ball at another Oto student.

"It looks like we're winning," Deidara laughed, watching the other teams' numbers dwindle. He was surprised to feel a strong force push against his abdomen. When he looked down a ball rolled from his lap and onto the grass.

"Who threw that?!" he yelled.

Sasuke walked over holding another ball in his hands. "I did."

Itachi's eyes widened. He seemed so different and yet it was only months ago that they shared the same home. Sasuke turned to Itachi and smirked. He threw the ball and watched as Itachi barely dodged it.

"Itachi, be-" Kisame was cut off by a ball hitting his shoulder.

Sasuke knew he was the last left on his team and made it clear he wasn't going down without taking some with him. He threw one of the balls high in the air and watched as Sasori readied himself to catch it. He grabbed another and threw it with all his strength. Sasori hadn't noticed the other ball flying at him until it hit him in his chest.

"Damn, he throws hard for a freshman," Sasori complained, rubbing his stinging chest.

Kakuzu was the next out, but he didn't seem fazed by Sasuke's throw. He shrugged and walked over to the others. "Looks like Hidan, Sakura, and Itachi are left."

"Uh, Hidan just got out," Deidara said, pointing to a cursing Hidan. Hidan took his seat in the grass and slumped down.

"Fuck, he does hit hard!"

Sakura, being so tiny, moved gracefully around the field without Sasuke hitting her. He grabbed a rolling ball and moved sideways to avoid Itachi's.

"This is for not giving me a chance!" Sasuke yelled, reeling his arm back. He threw it hard and watched as it hit Sakura in the thigh. She shrieked out and walked away to watch Itachi and Sasuke face off.

"I didn't give you a chance because you only think about yourself. You're a selfish brat who thinks he deserves the world at his feet," Itachi replied.

Sasuke could feel the heat rise to his face. "You've had everything handed to you, Itachi! I bet if you were the second-born, you would feel the same way!" Sasuke threw two balls and stomped around as his brother dodged each.

Itachi was growing annoyed, but wanted to try his best to befriend his brother again. "I really wanted you to stay here, Sasuke."

Sasuke laughed, "Like I really wanted to stay there and continue to walk in your shadow. Here at Oto, people like me for me and not who my big brother is!"

"I never wanted you to be in my shadow, Sasuke. Why can't you understand that?"

Sasuke looked down at the grass and found a single ball on his side. He picked it up and yelled at the top of his lungs. "I hate you!" Itachi felt the air escape him and clutched his stomach as Sasuke's group huddled around the freshman.

Sakura and the others raced over with his father and mother following after. Mikoto and Fugaku picked him up and gave him a bottled water. They continuously whispered to him, scolding him for pushing himself so hard.

"Is he going to be okay?" Sakura fretted.

"Yeah, he just got the wind knocked out of him. He'll be fine," Kisame assured.

For the next event, the students watched as teachers from the different schools tossed eggs to each other. Kakashi and Gai were immediately disqualified due to Kakashi's behavior. The students laughed as some of the teachers struggled with their eggs and acted very immature and child-like.

The winners were announced as Shizune and Shiho from Konoha which was a surprise due to the two's clumsy behavior.

Sakura walked over to Itachi and his parents. "Are you doing better?" she asked.

Mikoto smiled. "He's just fine, Sakura. Why don't you two walk together to the relay race starting point?" Itachi stood up and accepted his mother's offer. As they walked, Sakura would occasionally glance over at Itachi.

"I'm fine, Sakura-chan. Stop worrying so much, okay?"

"I know, but I can tell your feelings are hurt because of what Sasuke said," she replied.

He turned to her with a stern look. "Sasuke only said that because he's very hurt and angry. He wants to be noticed so desperately by our family and friends, but he continues to be pushed into my footsteps. I don't take his insults too seriously... but yes, it does hurt. Just don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Yeah, okay... Let's just focus on this relay race and win it!" She tried her best to bring him back into a good mood.

He frowned, "Yeah, the relay race. Thank goodness it's the last event."

The final event was a relay race between the Konoha Student Council and Suna and Oto Academy's Student Council. Sakura readied herself at the beginning and heard another girl's cackle.

The girl had brown glasses that framed crimson eyes. She wore her red hair in a long, straight style and tied her gym shirt to appear shorter, exposing her navel.

"I'm Karin, the secretary of Oto's Student Council," she boasted.

Sakura tried her best to be polite. "I'm Sakura, the Mascot of Konoha's."

Karin smiled, "We don't have a mascot due to it being very degrading. It's interesting to know that you are okay with that label."

"It's not degrading. It's a lot of fun to play a role in the Student Council."

"Whatever, I'll show you that Oto Academy is the best school. You'll be eating my dust as soon as your old hag of a principal blows her whistle."

Tsunade placed the whistle in her mouth and blew. The two girls raced off with their batons in their hands. They were on equal grounds with speed and endurance, but Sakura's determination was greater. She wanted to prove to these Oto snobs that she wasn't some scrawny object and picked up her pace. Her feet pounded against the track and felt herself gaining more distance between herself and Karin. Ahead she could hear Karin's teammate running his mouth.

"Come on, idiot! Move your fat ass and run faster!"

Karin gritted her teeth tightly. "Shut up you annoying bastard!"

Kisame readied himself for Sakura and began running as she crept closer. She passed the baton finally and cheered him on as he raced off. "Go, Kisame-kun!"

The boy beside her frowned, "Ugh, ya' see, Karin? They're in the lead now because of your fat ass!"

Karin finally caught up and hit the boy on the shoulder. "Then catch up, Suigetsu, you idiot!"

Suigetsu rubbed his shoulder and snarled at the girl, "You're a crazy bitch!" He raced on after Kisame.

* * *

Kisame hated running, but he couldn't refuse this event. His large size and his terrible exercise routine caused him to move slower. Suigetsu smirked as he finally caught up to the large senior.

"Hey! Looks like you are really slow!" Suigetsu taunted with his sharp teeth.

Kisame rolled his eyes. "Wow, you're so smart. I'm guessing you were enrolled in Oto Academy due to your excellent grades."

Suigetsu laughed, "No! I got in because of my skills in swimming!" He obviously didn't catch the sarcasm.

Kisame only grunted and noticed happily how close he was to Kakuzu. The two made it to their other teammates and watched as they ran off. Kakuzu faced off against a blonde girl that separated her hair into four different ponytails. He knew she was the Vice President of Suna High School, but had no idea what her name was. He could hear Hidan yelling from his starting point.

"Come on, you moron! Run faster! Can't you move or is this all you can do?!" he shrieked.

Kakuzu ignored the boy's pestering comments, but Hidan continued to yell.

"Kakuzu, you're so slow!"

"I've seen turtles move faster than you!"

"Com'on, let's beat the hell out of these guys! If you go any slower, you'll-"

"Oh my fucking lord! Will you shut the hell up you annoying, little prick?! How the hell did you get your spot on _any_ Student Council with that loud mouth of yours? If you yell out one, more time I swear I will come over there and kick your ass!" the girl yelled, startling Kakuzu and the others.

She turned to Kakuzu after taking a deep breath. "I'm Temari."

"Kakuzu."

Hidan shut his mouth and the two students running made their way to the others. Temari handed her baton to a very tall student from Oto with bright, orange hair. Hidan jumped up and down while Kakuzu finally handed his baton to Hidan.

The two boys ran along side, battling for the leading spot. Hidan looked over and only noticed a stoic expression on the boy's face.

"What? You're not going to insult me or anything?" Hidan tested.

The boy refused to respond, causing Hidan to grow angrier. "Oh? You're too good to speak to me, huh? Well, your silence doesn't bother me at all!"

The boy, again, didn't speak a word to the silver-haired senior. Hidan angrily raced in front of him.

"I'm in front of you now, idiot! What are you going to do about it?"

The boy's flame-colored eyes shifted over to Hidan. Although he stared at him, he didn't speak.

"Hey, assface! I'm talking to you! Stop ignoring me!"

The boy blinked. "My name is Juugo not Assface."

Hidan, already annoyed, yelled loudly at the boy. "Well, Juugo, how do you feel about our team winning against you? Because that's what we're going to do!"

Juugo blinked once more. "But we're going to win." He stretched out his long legs and quickly passed Hidan. He handed the baton to a boy with messy, brown hair.

Hidan hurried to Sasori and handed him the baton. "Don't let these weirdos beat us!" he yelled after Sasori.

Sasori was always lazy and didn't like to do the exercises during gym class. He knew his team members wanted to win so he decided to try his best. His opponent was quite sluggish and seemed to be tired. When he reached him, the boy turned to Sasori.

"Running is such a pain," he muttered.

"Agreed," Sasori answered. He noticed a pin on his gym uniform. "That pin is from my grandma's old puppet shop. How do you have it?"

"Oh, I used to go there a lot before it closed. I really like puppets."

"Yeah, I grew up with them. What's your name?"

"I'm Kankuro from Suna High. Who are you?"

"Sasori. Man, I can't even see Deidara yet... Why do they force me to do such hard labor?"

Kankuro laughed. "Yes, I'm one to just lay back and enjoy myself, but my younger brother, Gaara, ordered me to take part."

"Wait, your younger brother Gaara is the president of the Student Council... Why would you want him to become president when he's younger than you?"

"I'll admit, I don't like kids, but he's a good president for someone so young," Kankuro explained briefly.

Sasori nodded. "At our school, the title is only restricted to seniors."

"Well, although we both are equally lazy, how about we finish this race up?" Kankuro offered.

Sasori finally caught sight of the next two participants and accepted. "Okay, let's start the competition... now!" The two boys raced against each other at their top speed with Kankuro slightly in the lead. He handed his baton to his brother and the president raced off without a word.

"Beat them, Deidara," Sasori huffed through strained breaths.

Deidara shook his head with a smile. "I'll do my best!" The blonde took off, his long, blonde hair waving through the air as he zipped passed the redheaded Suna student.

"Hope you like looking at my back because that's all you're going to see!" Deidara stuck his tongue out and dashed to the final player - Itachi.

Kabuto crossed his arms and impatiently waited for the baton. Although Itachi was in the lead, he was actually jogging more than sprinting. Deidara cocked his head. "What the...?"

Itachi knew it wasn't smart to waste his energy, but he couldn't shake off the looks he was receiving from his fellow students. His eyes locked on to the finishing point until he could hear loud footsteps following behind him.

"Wow, Itachi, you're really slow! I was actually worried for a second, but I see I will win this thing easily." Kabuto laughed and raced in front of him. Itachi and Kabuto's distance grew larger and the Uchiha knew that he was going to lose. He watched as the arrogant, Oto Student Council President crossed the finish line and received cheers and hugs. He slowed his pace and walked passed the same line with his friends waiting for him.

"What the fuck, Itachi! Why didn't you run?!" Hidan shrieked.

"I'm really sorry, guys," he said, panting through his words. His father and mother hurried to his side with concerned faces.

As they looked him over, they continued to mutter worried phrases. _"Wow, they are so overprotective_," Sakura thought.

To his surprise, Itachi found Sasuke walking towards him with a smirk on his face. "Did we show you? Did we show _you_ how much better we are than this stupid school?"

Mikoto frowned at her younger son, "Don't talk like that to your brother, Sasuke! He's-" Itachi raised his hand to stop his mother from speaking.

"It's okay, Mom. Can Sasuke and I have a moment alone to speak?" He was asking each of them to leave.

As his club members left in a group, Hidan chuckled to himself. "I hope Itachi really beats the hell out of his brother! He deserves it more than anyone!"

Sakura turned to see Itachi mouthing words to his younger brother with a stern look on his face. Sasuke stepped backwards with his eyes showing shock and disbelief. She desperately wanted to know what the two family members were speaking about, but she knew it wasn't her business to poke in to.

Sasuke's mouth opened, but he couldn't think of the right words to say.

"Do you understand now?" Itachi asked, his eyes staring into his younger brother's.

Sasuke looked away and sputtered out, "But... what about the job Dad was offering you?"

"Sasuke, I couldn't have that job even if I wanted it!" Itachi snapped.

The young Uchiha could feel his heart sink into his chest. "Why didn't you tell me...?"

Itachi walked closer to his brother. "Sasuke, this is a secret between us. You must not tell anyone and I mean anyone!"

* * *

**A/N:**

**-So sorry for the long wait, everyone! :( At least it's a long chapter though, right? Right?! Anyway, so Itachi has confessed something, but what could it be? And did you enjoy all the different characters? :) I've been working on this for quite a few days so you can't say that I rushed lol XD**

**-Thanks for the amazing reviews, followers, and favorites! I love you, guys! :)**


	22. Trip To The Hot Springs

Itachi woke up to the sound of furniture moving around the wooden floor. He covered his ears with his pillow, but the noise continued to pester him. Tired and annoyed, Itachi opened his door to confront the person making so much noise.

His mother turned around and cupped her hands together. "Oh, Itachi, did we wake you?" Her face was beaming.

"Yeah, what's with all the noise?" He looked around the room at the furniture pushed against the walls.

Mikoto continued to smile. "We're making room for your father to help unpack the moving truck!"

Itachi knew better than to think it was Sasuke moving back. "Are we renting out Sasuke's room?"

"Yes! For your cousin Shisui!"

"Shisui, but why is he staying here?" He leaned forward and whispered to his mother. "Did something happen?"

She cupped a hand around her mouth. "Actually, Shisui and his wife are going through a rough time. He asked us if he could stay since his own parents are on vacation."

The door slid open and a woman not much older than Itachi stepped into the entryway. Mikoto walked over and shook her hand. "Ah, Maiko! It's been a long time."

"Yes, it has Mikoto. How have you been?"

Maiko, Shisui's wife, had tired eyes and an aged face for a twenty-something. She wore her hair in a tight bun and hid her small frame with a bulky, blue dress. Itachi always thought that she looked mad even when she smiled. When the couple would visit for family outings, she would constantly hang on Shisui's arm the entire time. She would yell a lot too.

Shisui and Fugaku stepped into the home, carrying large boxes. Maiko placed her hands on her hips. "Shisui! Why are you walking on their beautiful floor with your dirty, old shoes?!"

Shisui looked down and pulled his shoes off and kicked them onto the entryway's floor. "Yes, sorry, Mai-chan."

"Don't call me that here!" she hissed.

Fugaku straightened the oki on his yukata. "How about Itachi and I get the rest?" he suggested.

"Oh, you really don't need to do that," Shisui argued.

"It's fine, Shisui! How about you sit down on the sofa and relax a little," Mikoto guided him over and took a seat next to him.

Maiko peered down at her watch. "I have to go now. I'll call when I can."

Shisui stood up. "I love you, Maiko."

The woman rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever." She walked through door and out to her car in the driveway.

Shisui sat back down next to Mikoto and smiled. "I'm sorry if this was a bit sudden - my request of moving in."

Mikoto grabbed his shoulders firmly and smiled. "It's an absolute dream to have you living here, Shisui! Since Sasuke lives in the dormitory at Oto Academy, his room is just unused."

Shisui relaxed and smiled as Fugaku and Itachi returned with his last boxes. Fugaku rested his hand on his son's shoulder. "How about you and Shisui catch up? Your mother and I will place these boxes in his room."

Itachi turned to Shisui. "Do you want to hang out?"

"I'd love to," Shisui replied happily. He ran to the doorway and pulled on his sneakers. The two waved goodbye and walked down the street.

Mikoto laughed to herself causing her husband to question her. "What are you laughing about?"

"The two of them together remind me of when they were just little boys. And now, our Itachi is graduating this year and Shisui is married."

"Yeah, married to a complete bitch," Fugaku grunted.

Mikoto slapped her husband on the back. "Don't say that!"

"Yeah, yeah... Anyway, Mikoto-chaaan," he prolonged the vowel in 'chan' and smiled, "We're alone." Mikoto smiled flirtatiously and pulled her husband into their bedroom and closed the door.

Shisui and Itachi walked the pavement reaching the familiar house Itachi stopped at every school morning. He knocked on the door and waited patiently for someone to answer. Shisui looked around and turned to his cousin.

"Who lives here?"

The door squeaked open and Sakura stood behind it with her head poking out. Itachi waved and noticed the girl still in her pajamas.

"Did we wake you?"

"Yeah, but it's okay. What do you need?" she asked, trying to hide her ridiculous pajama set.

Itachi pointed to Shisui. "This is my cousin, Shisui. He'll be staying at my house for a while and I wanted to introduce him to you."

Shisui smiled. "It's nice to meet Itachi's girlfriend! So, what your name?"

"It's Sakura - wait, what?!" She backed away from the door. "I'm not his girlfriend!"

Shisui, confused, turned to Itachi. "What? She isn't your girlfriend?"

Itachi's cheeks flushed and the senior punched him in the arm. "No! I didn't say anything like that!"

Shisui rubbed his sore arm. "Oh, well, I thought since you were introducing me to her..."

Sakura squirmed around. This was not the time to be falsely accused. "Let me go get changed. You two can come inside and sit downstairs while I get ready." She opened the door and ran up the stairs to her bedroom.

"You always embarrass me, even when you don't mean to," Itachi groaned, taking a seat on the couch.

"I'm sorry, Itachi. She's cute though so if you did date her... I'm sure your parents would be very happy."

Itachi waved his arms moronically. "How about we change the subject? So, since today's your first day with us... What do you want to do?"

Shisui pondered for a moment. "I actually have an idea! Call up a couple of your friends and we'll go somewhere special!"

OoOoOOoOoO

"When I said a couple of friends, I didn't mean the entire Student Council," Shisui griped, driving past a slow-moving car.

"You should have been more specific, Shisui," Itachi replied, sitting in the passenger seat.

Hidan leaned forward and took a sip of his water. "So, where are we going, Shisui?"

"Well, I guess it really doesn't matter, but I wanted to take you all to a traditional bathhouse in Otafuku Gai!" Shisui kept his eyes on the road as cheers rang out in his small, compact car.

"You're serious? This is so awesome!" Hidan shouted.

"I've never been to one before so this should be a very interesting experience," Sasori noted.

Sakura nudged Sasori and smiled. "They're so nice, Sasori-kun!"

"Not to mention this one has a natural hot spring," Shisui added.

Itachi turned to his cousin. " 'Natural'? How are you able to afford all these people?"

"Well, I wasn't planning on so many people joining us, so I guess I'll have to use my free passes." He sighed sadly.

"How do you get free passes?" Itachi asked.

"My father helped out the owner a few times so he gives him free visits. My dad's collected a lot, but he doesn't use them. Hopefully they'll allow me to bring so many people with me." Shisui looked into his rearview mirror at the young girl smushed into the middle of his car. She continued to carry a conversation with the boys and kept a happy smile on her face.

He wished Maiko was still that happy.

Shisui pulled into the parking lot and guided the group to the bath house's entrance. An older woman sat at the front desk. "Hello, a party of eight?"

"Yes, and I already have free passes programmed into my account. It's under Kagami Uchiha?" Shisui leaned over the desk as the woman typed away on her computer.

Her eyes moved through the names on the screen until they settled on the Uchiha surname. "Yes, Kagami Uchiha. Please, enjoy your stay at Onsen Kanwa!"

The boys turned to the left side of the hallway and entered the mens' locker room while Sakura walked through the womens'. It was very empty with only two other women showering before they stepped into the spring.

"_This is going to be really quiet..._" She looked around and slowly made her way out of the womens' room. She peeked her head around the hallway.

Nobody.

She hurried to the boys' side and got showered up. Luckily, they were already washed up and in the springs.

Itachi dipped his feet in and slowly settled his entire body under the warm water. Hidan jumped in and turned to his friends slowly settling in.

"Why are you going so slow?" he asked.

"Sometimes, if you go too fast into a hot spring, you can become very light-headed," Shisui explained.

Hidan laughed, "Like that would affect me! I'm not a pansy like any of you!"

"I wonder what Sakura-chan is doing on the other side of the wall. It kinda sucks that she can't hang with us. I bet she's lonely," Deidara said, wading through the water to the dividing wall.

"It's okay, guys! I'm coming in with you," Sakura said happily, holding her towel around her body.

"What?! Sakura!" The boys grabbed their towels at the edge of the hot spring and covered their lower-halves.

"You're right, Deidara-kun. It looked like I wasn't going to have fun on the girls' side so I wanted to join you guys," she explained, dipping into the water.

The boys scooted away and moved to the other side. Shisui stayed in his spot and turned to the boys at the other side of the spring.

"Are you guys okay?" Shisui asked, fairly amused by their behavior.

"She's naked! And we're naked!" Kisame blurted.

"What if we get caught?" Sasori fretted.

Shisui chuckled and shook his head. "Nobody comes in here to check on their guests. We just have to make sure nobody comes in and spots Sakura-san. Just relax guys, she's not going to bite you."

The boys relaxed and decided to creep a little closer to the girl. This was the most heart-racing thing that has occurred to the boys, but Sakura didn't seem to mind.

"This is so unlike you, Sakura-chan. Shouldn't you be a little nervous?" Itachi asked.

Sakura ran her wet hands through her hair. "Well, I guess I should be, but I'm not. As long as I don't think about you all being naked then I'm fine. Maybe that's how you should act too so you stop freaking out."

"Give us a break, okay? We've never bathed with a girl before," Hidan squeaked.

Shisui laughed, "Once you get married you can do it all the time! Do any of you have any sweethearts at school?"

"No," they said in unison.

Shisui raised an eyebrow. "Not a single one of you has one? You're all good-looking, so what are you waiting for?"

They stayed silent, unable to answer his question due to the girl they had their eyes on sitting next to them.

Shisui turned to Sakura. "You seem so comfortable. Are you used to co-ed bathhouses?"

"No, but when I was little, I used to take baths with my dad. Besides, I've taken health classes in middle school so I know what a penis looks like," Sakura explained.

Itachi turned bright red. "Sakura! Have some decency!"

She tilted her head. "But it's true!" She pointed at him. "You have a penis... And so does Kisame, Hidan, Sasori, Deidara, Kakuzu and Shisui."

"A lady shouldn't talk like that though!" Sasori squirmed.

Shisui laughed, "Well, it _is_ true! " He faced Itachi. "So how was the Sports Festival? Sorry, I didn't make it."

Sakura bounced up and down. "It was so much fun! We lost against Oto and Suna, but it was exciting."

"Did you see Sasuke at all?" Shisui asked.

"Yeah and we talked for awhile after the festival. He's doing fine at Oto and is ranked in the top ten in his classes," Itachi replied.

Sakura looked around and moved over to Deidara and Sasori. "What's the next event I have to look forward to?"

"Don't get so close, Sakura!" Deidara exclaimed, feeling her skin brush up against his.

Sasori on the other side of Deidara leaned forward to face her. "The next thing is... Probably winter break. I can't really think of anything else."

Sakura pouted. "Well, what do we do until then? Hey, how about before the weather gets too chilly, we all go to the beach again?"

The door slid open and the group turned to the noise. Deidara panicked. "Sakura! You've got to hide!" He dunked her head under the water as the man stepped in.

"Kakashi-sensei?!" The boys yelled out.

Kakashi, wearing a towel around his face, stepped over to the boys. "Oh? My old students are here? I thought I was the only one who went here on weekends." He turned to Shisui. "Wow, Shisui's here too? It's been awhile!"

Sakura held her breath as she tried to listen to the conversation. However, being underwater, all their voices were muffled and barely audible. She really wanted to see who it was, but knew if she opened her eyes, she'd get an eyeful of something she didn't need to see.

Kakashi looked around. "Oh, man. I forgot my book back in the locker room. I'll be right back." He opened the door and left to retrieve his erotica.

Deidara moved his hand and let the girl gasp for breath. "Are you okay?" Deidara asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she panted.

"Did you open your eyes underwater?" Shisui asked with a grin.

The boys grabbed their towels again and covered up. Was the water getting hotter?

Sakura shook her head. "No, I didn't... I kept them closed."

"We've got to hurry and get you out of here before he comes back," Itachi said.

Shisui turned to his cousin. "It's too late to do anything. We can just try and make her look like a man."

"But he's my teacher. He'll recognize me with my pink hair," Sakura frowned.

Shisui looked around and pulled a towel from one of the racks. He moved to her and dipped it in the water. "We'll place it over your face. Since your hair is pinned-up, he'll think you just have short hair. Now, if he speaks to you, you have to try and sound like a guy, okay? We can get away with this if nobody blows our cover."

Kakashi returned with his book. He stepped into the water, sitting next to Kakuzu. "Man, you guys have grown a lot since I've taught you. Are you getting ready for entrance exams?"

"Yes, sensei," Kakuzu nodded.

"What are you planning for a career, Itachi?" Kakashi asked, looking for his page.

"I plan on going into Law Enforcement," he answered.

"Taking on the family business?"

Itachi shook his head. "No, I will most likely be organizing files and taking care of paperwork. The line of duty doesn't interest me as much as my father and Sasuke."

"I see." Kakashi looked around the group and noticed the huddled mass in the corner with a towel covering their face. "Is he with you?" Kakashi asked, pointing to Sakura.

"Uhh, yeah, that's Saku...ro," Itachi stated slowly. Why didn't he just say 'No, that's just a weird guy with a towel over his face'?

Kakashi's eyes narrowed and the teacher scooted closer. "Sakuro? What school are you from?"

Sakura coughed, ready to lower her voice. "I, uh, I'm from Kumo." Her voice squeaked as she tried to sound manly.

"He's a middle school student. We met him during the Cultural Festival and wanted to get to know him better," Deidara commented, scooting over to block Kakashi's view.

"Oh, really?" Kakashi sat back against the bath's wall. "So how's Haruno-san doing in the Student Council?"

Hidan pushed himself into the conversation. "She's awesome! She was the best choice to ever have on the Council!"

Sakura smiled as she listened to the boys speak about their time with her. It was nice to hear so many sweet comments and have the butterflies in her stomach fly around. She never knew how it felt to be wanted until this year. She never knew how it felt to be invited to things or to have someone come to her house when she wasn't expecting company.

These boys turned her life around and they had no idea.

"It's amazing how you all have so much to say about her. To me, it sounds like you all like her," Kakashi chuckled, flipping to the next page in his book.

Shisui laughed, "Yeah, I was thinking that too, Kakashi-san!"

"What?! Kakashi-sensei! Don't say stuff like that!" Sasori's voice cracked.

Sakura could feel her cheeks heat up as the boys' voices raised into a different octave at Kakashi's statement. Outwardly, she stayed still to show no response, but secretly, she wanted to know what their true answers were.

Did they like her? As a friend? As just a girl? Or something more? Could they be thinking the same thing right now too?

"Kidding, kidding! Anyway, Sakuro do you have any idea what high school you'll want to enroll in?" Kakashi asked.

"I plan on staying in the same district, sir," Sakura said through her muffled voice.

Kakashi cocked an eyebrow. "So why do you have that towel over your face?"

"I have a case of terrible face acne, sir," Sakura replied. Kakashi nodded and turned his attention back to his book.

The room fell silent. Nobody spoke due to the uncomfortable atmosphere Kakashi had created from his presence.

Itachi turned to the other boys and wondered what they should do. They mouthed words at each other until Hidan finally got an idea. He turned to Kakashi. "You know, even though I'm a kid, I've read every book from that series, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi looked to him impassively. "Oh?"

"Yeah, the first book of the Icha Icha series was probably the best! That's the third book of the series you're reading, right?" Hidan had a sly smirk on his face.

"Yes, it is."

Hidan leaned back. "Of course it is! Man, you know what my favorite part of the second book was? It was when Hiro actually confessed his love to Naoto, but was still dating Chika! But the third book was probably the most dramatic! The first chapter had me glued from the start! Have you gotten to chapter sixteen?"

Kakashi shifted uncomfortably. "Not yet..."

Hidan laughed, "Oh, wow! Then you are in for such a surprise!"

"W-wait, Hidan. I don't like spoilers," Kakashi stammered.

Hidan ignored Kakashi's plea. "It's when Chika finds out that she's-"

Kakashi stood up and ran from the tub. "Damn you, Hidan!" He raced away before Hidan could explain the rest.

Shisui turned to Hidan. "Have you really read all of the Icha Icha books?"

Hidan closed his eyes and smiled. "Nah, I've only read bits and pieces, but my mom's read them all. Cherry-chan, you can take off the towel."

No response.

Hidan leaned forward. "Cherry-chan?" Again, no response.

Deidara pulled the towel from her face. "She's sleeping!" Her eyes were closed and light snores were heard from the girl.

"Ah, let her sleep. These hot springs are so comfortable - I'm not surprised," Shisui commented, settling deeper into the water.

Kakuzu rested his arms on his knees. "So, Shisui, you're living with Itachi now?"

Shisui nodded. "Yeah, it's going to be for awhile."

"Is there any reason behind it?" Hidan asked, curious.

Shisui's eyes darted around the room until he finally got the courage to speak what had been bothering him. "Maiko and I are getting a divorce."

"What? Shisui, why?" Itachi asked.

Shisui sighed, "She said that she doesn't love me anymore. I guess I can understand since she's been wanting a baby for awhile and I've told her we weren't financially ready yet... She told me she's leaving me for another man. One that can give her the baby she's wanted for so long." He shut his eyes tightly to keep the tears from escaping.

"She wanted a baby?" Kisame repeated.

Shisui nodded. "Yeah, but I can understand why. We've been together since high school and I still feel like I'm not ready. It's unfair to her."

"It's unfair how she's treating you," Itachi argued.

"Well, I don't want to give up, but I already know it's over for us. I mean we've stopped having any kind of intimacy for a long time. I should have known this was coming, but it still came to me as a surprise."

"What did you see in her, Shisui? She was such a bitch in high school!" Hidan stated.

Shisui smiled, "Honestly, I wasn't thinking about her personality back then. We had a few, 'special' moments before we started dating. And afterwards, I felt guilty if I would have just left. Once we dated for a few months, I got to know her better and started to really like her."

"You had sex with her before you dated her?" Kakuzu asked.

Shisui lowered his head, ashamed. "Yeah, I was pretty pathetic back then." He turned to the boys with a stern look. "Now, I'm not wanting to give you a scolding, but you boys should definitely not look at a girl's physical beauty to see if she's a match for you. If you think about her body then she's not the one for you. If you think about how happy she makes you and all the memories you've received then there's a pretty good chance. Remember, the inside is what counts not the outside."

The boys turned to the sleeping girl. Itachi smiled and turned to his cousin. "We all love her, Shisui. It will be hard when she finally chooses, but we'll accept her decision."

"This girl is the most beautiful human being ever created," Kakuzu added.

"It's good to look at the personality, but having a good body with a good soul isn't that bad either," Hidan commented loudly.

Kisame agreed, "She's nice, funny, smart and beautiful. Inside and out, she's the most gorgeous girl in Japan."

Shisui waved his hands. "Stop! You're going to make me sick with all your mushy comments!" He felt slightly jealous of their romantic thoughts.

Sasori turned to the clock. "Our time is almost up. We better wake up Sakura-chan before we get out."

Deidara, sitting next to the girl, nudged her awake. "It's almost time to leave, Sakura-chan." Her eyelids fluttered open and the girl shook her head to help wake up.

"How long was I out?"

"We're not sure, but it was probably before Kakashi left," Sasori said.

She yawned and stretched her arms into the air. "Well, I guess I better get going then."

"We'll go too," Shisui said, grabbing towels from the racks and throwing them to each boy.

Sakura snatched up a towel and wrapped it around her body. "Let's hurry before we get caught."

They did as she said and stepped out of spring. The towels were long and trailed behind the boys as they covered up their lower waist. Hidan happily moved along and ran around to catch up to Sakura.

"Hey, Cherry-" He slipped in a puddle of water and grabbed onto Deidara's towel to gain leverage.

"Hidan-" Deidara stepped on his own towel and was pulled down by Hidan. He tried to scamper up, but placed his hand on Sasori's trailing towel and watched as it fell to the floor.

Sasori yelled out and grabbed his towel. He turned back around and bumped into Kisame before he fell down next to Deidara. Kisame angrily stomped his foot and heard the rip of Itachi's towel tearing up to the hem.

Kakuzu laughed loudly, "You're all so-" He screeched out as he tripped over Hidan's legs and fell to the floor cradling his knee. "Ah! I hurt my damn knee!"

Sakura turned back to the boys and tapped on Itachi's shoulder. "What the heck happened?!"

Itachi faced her and shrugged. "I have no idea. Once I finally turned around, they were all piled up on the floor."

Sakura and Shisui covered their mouths and looked down below Itachi's naval. "What?" Itachi looked down and noticed the enormous tear in his towel, exposing his lower member. The blood rushed to his face as he realized Sakura's eyes were solely focused on him. He yanked the remains of his towel up and covered himself.

"St-stop looking, Sakura!" He stammered.

Shisui shrugged, "She said she's seen a penis before so it shouldn't be that _big _of a problem." He chuckled to himself as he thought of the joke he just made.

Sakura's face grew white as she stood motionless. "I've seen one before, but now that I've seen one up close..." She paused and ran out of the room.

OoOoOOoOoO

"Well, that was a great way to end our time at the hot springs, wasn't it?" Shisui asked happily as he drove them home.

The group stayed silent as they looked out at the buildings they drove by. Itachi stared silently out the window, if he could jump out and run away, he would. His face still burned from the embarrassment.

Sakura sat still as she looked down at her hands. When she saw Itachi... she wanted to faint.

"Perhaps going to the hot springs was a bad idea," she said aloud.

"Perhaps _you_ going to the boys' side was a bad idea," Shisui laughed.

* * *

**A/N:**

**I'm sooo sorry for the late update! QAQ Please forgive me!**

**I've been so busy lately, but I've been working on the new chapter every time I had a chance.**

**Anyway...**

**Over 90 reviews and over 90 followers?! I'm extremely happy and excited to reach 100! Thank you all for being so patient with every update and everything else that goes along with it!**

**Thanks to the followers, favorites, and reviews! I appreciate everyone reading! :)**


	23. The Locker Room Ghost

Kakuzu leaned against the wall of the train. The luggage above him rattled as the train rolled on the tracks. The seats were full, but everyone's faces showed how much they didn't want to be there.

It was a Monday - this always happened.

The train's whistle blew and the doors squeaked open. Kakuzu stepped down onto the station's pavement and out on the sidewalk leading to the school. Two freshman girls in front of him began talking loudly.

"Jin-senpai told me the story about the ghost in the girls' locker room yesterday! Has he ever told you?"

The other girl swallowed hard. "You mean about the girl who was found hanging in the rafters? Isn't that just scary though?"

"Jin-senpai said that her ghost only comes out on the anniversary of her death. And you know what's even scarier? The anniversary is this Wednesday!"

"Yeah, but she only appears at night and students are prohibited from staying in the school after hours."

"I know... I wish we could go in and investigate. Just think: a ghost in Konoha High School!"

The two girls squealed as goosebumps crept over their skin. They rushed through the door and went to their designated shoe cubbies.

The crease between Kakuzu's eyebrows in disbelief. What a stupid story! It's probably just something to scare freshman like an old tale that's been passed down from graduating seniors.

Who would believe such a stupid story anyway? Someone so gullible they would believe you're the Emperor of Japan with just little persuasion.

OoOoOOoOoO

"Guys! I heard something so creepy today! Did you know that the school has its own ghost?" Sakura exclaimed, walking into the club's room.

Kakuzu slapped his hand to his forehead. "_Of all people_?"

Itachi folded his hands in his lap. "That's just a story, Sakura-chan. It's not real at all."

Deidara rocked the back legs of his chair. "Well, have you been in the school after hours? I heard it's really scary."

"But they lock the doors... Nobody can get in once the janitors finish up," Sasori explained.

Hidan, sitting next to Sakura, wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "We could sneak in later! Right before the janitors leave and investigate like real ghost hunters!"

"Idiot! We could get suspended for sneaking into the school," Kakuzu chided.

Hidan shrugged, "Why not try? Right, Cherry-chan?"

Sakura smiled and turned to Itachi. "Could we please, senpai?"

Itachi sighed, "First, you sneaked into the boys' side of the hot springs. Now, you want to sneak into the school? It seems you're going to start a streak of troubling behavior."

Sakura bit her lip. "You're not my dad!"

"I know that, but I am the president. If you get caught, I'll be the one getting in trouble."

She crossed her arms over her chest and turned her face away. "It's just for fun."

Deidara rested his chin in his hand. "Com'on, Itachi-kun. It'll be really fun."

Kisame leaned over. "I don't know about Sakura, but Hidan will go regardless of what you say. So, even if you say no, you'll still get in trouble if Hidan gets caught."

Itachi stood from his seat at the table. "Alright, just to make sure nobody goes running off to the school this Wednesday, we're all going to have an overnight stay at my house! Anyone who doesn't attend, will be disbanded from the Student Council on the spot!"

Their shocked faces were all he needed. Hidan kicked his feet onto the table. "What's crawled up your ass, Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes?"

OoOoOOoOoO

Sakura packed up her clothes in her old backpack and moved out the door. She had already informed her mother of the overnight stay and Mebuki didn't seem to mind. The walk over was nice with the cool breeze, but she was still upset that they wouldn't sneak into the school to look for the ghost.

What was so bad about investigating? Was Itachi so afraid that they would get caught?

She knocked on the door and was greeted warmly by Mikoto. "Hi, I'm sorry if I'm too early," Sakura started.

Mikoto shook her head and guided the girl into the living room. "No! Actually, you're the last guest to arrive!"

Sakura frowned as she joined the others at the couch. Itachi took a sip of his drink. "I was almost scared that you weren't coming."

"Although it would be a lot of fun to look around the school for the Locker Room Ghost... I thought my seat on the Student Council was more important - just by a tiny bit." She sat down next to Hidan and Kakuzu.

Hidan leaned over and whispered in her ear. "I've been badgering him to let us go, but he hasn't budged. Can I talk to you in the hallway for a minute?" She hesitated for a moment, but agreed and the two walked into the corridor.

"What is it?"

"I was thinking how Tight-Ass isn't letting us go. But, what if we go without him while he's sleeping?" Hidan suggested.

"That's crazy!" She hissed. "What if he woke up while we were still gone?"

"Aha! That's what Kakuzu thought as well! He suggested something brilliant: Since Itachi is acting so tight and whatever shit else... How about we try loosening him up a bit?"

Her green eyes narrowed with curiosity. "H-how?"

"Alcohol, of course! Maybe... _Mr. President _will relax a bit more if we give him a bit too much, huh?" Hidan smirked mischievously.

The girl quickly protested. "It won't work. Senpai is president for a reason... He'll be able to smell it on his drink. Also, what about his parents? They wouldn't allow him to drink underage."

"Itachi's parents are really cool. They allow us to crack open their liquor cabinet on rare occasions. Every New Year's Eve, we can enjoy a few glasses too! Please, let's just try it!" He was practically begging on his knees to the girl. If anyone wanted to go to the school, it was definitely Hidan.

"Fine, but I'm not drinking," Sakura stated.

Hidan clapped his hands. "Yes! But you have to drink atleast one glass before we go! So, y'know, Itachi doesn't get distracted."

Feeling even more defeated, Sakura finally accepted. "Only one glass!" She sounded firmly.

The two walked back into the living room. Hidan winked at Kakuzu to start the plan and the tanned senior leaned forward.

"Hey, Itachi-kun, how about we drink a little?" He suggested.

Itachi turned to him, his brows knitted together in surprise. "That was sudden and very random."

Kakuzu shrugged. "It's a nice night... Might as well."

Itachi frowned, "Is this some kind of trick? Are you trying to gain some leniency with me?"

Deidara joined into the conversation. "Com'on, Itachi-kun! It shouldn't be that bad to have a few drinks!"

"Your parents are in bed. Why not?" Sasori pushed.

Sakura hid her disgusted expression from the boys. "_Geez... Sasori and Deidara don't even know about the plan and yet they're still trying to drink. For a Student Council, they aren't very good role-models..._"

Itachi turned to Sakura. "I'm alright with a few... but are you?"

Hidan turned to her and motioned her to accept. Sakura turned to Itachi and waved her hand nonchalantly. "Oh, yeah. I'll be fine with one drink."

"YEAH! Go, Cherry-chan!" Hidan shouted.

Itachi stood up from the table and opened a large cabinet. "What would you guys like?" He pulled out tall glasses and a few shot-glasses.

"If your dad has any plain beer... I'll take that," Kakuzu stated.

Hidan's nose wrinkled in disgust. "Blech! How can you like the taste of that shit? Beer has a disgusting flavor!" He turned in Itachi's direction. "I'll have some rice wine!"

"I guess I'll take some rice wine too," Kisame noted.

"I'll have some sake too," Sasori added.

Deidara joined Itachi at the cabinet and looked through the bottles. "Your mom really likes fruit-flavored stuff, doesn't she? I'll take some sake too then." He pulled out the large bottle and set it on the table.

"Sakura-chan, what will you have?" Itachi asked.

Before she could answer, Shisui walked out of the hallway and stopped in front of the group. "Hey, what's up with this? You guys are having a party and you didn't invite me?" He sat down next Sasori and Deidara. "Rice wine, eh? This looks like some good quality stuff too."

"I invited them over for a nice night in," Itachi stated. "Now, what would you like, Sakura-chan?" He asked again.

Never touching anything with alcohol as a main ingredient, Sakura had no idea what was there. She had heard Deidara state something about Mikoto having some nice drinks. "I'll have some of the fruit-flavored stuff."

Itachi took the cool cans of cherry-flavored alcohol and a beer for Kakuzu. As he handed it to her, Sakura was unsure of whether or not to drink it. Delinquents at school drank. People who don't care about the next day and party all night drank. Businessmen like her father drank too.

Sakura wasn't a businessman nor has she ever attended a party so, with narrowing it down, she must now be a delinquent. Then again, she did sneak into the boys' side of the hot springs...

She sipped gingerly as Itachi poured the boys' glasses. It did not taste fruity at all. Obviously, the people who made this drink have never tasted a soda that was cherry-flavored. It was bitter and made her throat tighten up.

How could they like this stuff?

Shisui pulled his glass back to his body and took a nice swig. "So what's the occasion? It's a Wednesday, so there shouldn't be anything too interesting going on at school."

"Itachi-kun doesn't want us breaking into the school to see the Locker Room Ghost," Hidan stated casually.

"Oh? That's still going around? You know, Hana-chan and I actually snuck into the school on the anniversary, but we chickened out before we made it to the girls' locker room," Shisui chuckled, reminiscing in his school days.

Hidan couldn't contain his eagerness. "Dammit! I want to go investigate so bad! Why don't you get over your goody-goodyness and let us go?"

Itachi drank a small amount of the sake. "I just know that it's not a wise idea."

Hidan laughed bitterly. "Yeah, right. You're just scared! You'd pussy out before we stepped through the gate of the school." Perhaps belittling him would push Itachi in the right direction.

The Uchiha's eyes met with Hidan's. "I'm sorry, but I would have to disagree. If anyone were to be scared of a simple, ghost story, it would be you. Besides, only a true idiot would actually believe something so ridiculous."

"Hey!" Sakura and Hidan yelled in unison.

"My apologies, Sakura-chan. I was only referring to Hidan," Itachi remarked.

"You're so prissy, Itachi! I bet all my money in my wallet that you wouldn't even dare step foot into the school at night! You'll run out like a scared, little baby!" Hidan dared.

Itachi didn't fall for it. "I wouldn't step foot into the school because I know it's wrong. It's called 'being mature and respecting rules' - something you don't understand."

Noticing the tension, Deidara raised his glass and smiled. "Hey, let's drink, hm?" He turned to Sakura. "How are you feeling?"

"Oh, I'm feeling fine. I'm taking my time with my drink." Sakura looked down at the can and frowned. Seriously, how could they like this junk?

"Is this your first time drinking? I saw your face as you took your first drink and it was cute how your nose scrunched up," Deidara teased.

She turned to Hidan, but his eyes pressed her to fib. "No, no! I've drank before, it's just, I've never had this kind of drink." She took another sip. "It's really good."

"To be honest, I'm feeling nice and warm! Hey, why don't we play a game?" Deidara suggested.

"Yeah! Let's play King of the Hill! Where are your chopsticks at, Itachi?" Hidan ran into the kitchen and looked through the drawers - finally finding four pairs of chopsticks. He grabbed a marker and wrote numbers running from one to seven and wrote 'King' on the last chopstick.

"I don't think it's called 'King of the Hill', but whatever... Let's play!" Deidara chimed.

"How do you play?" Sakura asked.

"Osama is a sort of drinking game. The more people you play with, the more fun it is. Hidan-kun will drop all of those chopsticks into a cup of sake with the markings pointing down so we can't see. Everyone will pick a chopstick and whoever has the 'King' chopstick gets to call out a number and present a crazy task. It's really easy to understand once you get into it, Sakura-chan," Shisui explained. Being in college, he had played the game countless times.

"Yeah! And no holding back, got it? Whoever refuses a task has to down a shot glass of sake!" Hidan yelled. He pushed the glass with the chopsticks inside to the center of the table. "Everyone, take a chopstick!"

Sakura waited and carefully picked up one of the chopsticks. If she grabbed the 'King' chopstick, she could make a simple task for someone to perform.

Three.

Damn.

"I'm the King," Sasori said, holding up the winning chopstick.

Sakura heaved a sigh of relief. Sasori had a good head on his shoulders and was very mature for his age. Surely, he wouldn't choose an immature or humiliating-

"Number six has to strip down to their underwear and perform a haiku pertaining to their favorite food."

Sakura slapped her palms to her cheeks. "_Maybe I should have just given up my seat_."

Hidan stood up with a scowl on his face. "Ah, dammit!" He positioned himself in front of the group and pulled off his shirt.

Sakura wanted to look away, but couldn't. She hadn't expected Hidan to be so... fit and trim. He unbuttoned his pants and dropped them to his ankles. He kicked them away and propped his hands onto his hips.

"Steak, it tastes so good.

Rare, medium, or well done...

Now I want some steak."

He hurriedly pulled on his clothes and joined his applauding peers at the table.

"You are very poetic, Hidan," Itachi stated.

Hidan scowled again. "Whatever! Let's just do another round."

The group returned their chopsticks to the glass. Hidan twirled them around while closing his eyes and set the cup back onto the table. She felt lucky enough that she wasn't picked to strip, but hopefully nothing too risky would come up to the point she had to take a drink.

Five... Nobody calls on five, right?

"Hey, I'm the King!" Deidara clucked. He rubbed his chin and smiled mischievously. "Number four has to sit on number five's lap!"

"What? You can't call on two numbers!" Sakura called out.

"Yes, he can, Sakura-chan. Now, who's lap do you have to sit on?" Shisui asked.

"Actually, I'm number four..." Kisame said, quietly.

Sakura raised her chopstick. "And I'm number five."

Deidara laughed, "Well, Kisame-kun better make sure he doesn't crush you!" The effects of the alcohol were taking over his senses, but he didn't seem to mind.

Sakura moved to the couch and sat down. Kisame wasn't very sure about the idea, but he wasn't much for drinking.

"It's not that bad, Kisame-kun. I know you won't hurt me," Sakura assured, patting her lap.

Hesitating, Kisame lowered himself onto her. "How long do I have to sit on her lap?"

Deidara pondered the thought for a moment. "Let's see... until the next person's turn is over!"

Kisame frowned. This wasn't just awkward... It was absolutely humiliating! Of course he liked Sakura, but having everyone else stare at the two was very uncomfortable. Also, his weight wasn't exactly comparable to a ballerina's. He adjusted himself on top of her to keep most of his weight off, but it wasn't very fun to sit in a squatting postion.

"Alright, let's look for a new King! Sakura and Kisame are out for this round since they have to sit like that."

The boys fished around the chopsticks until Hidan stood up abruptly. "Hell, yes! I'm the King! I'm the King!"

"Okay, _'King_', let's hear your decree," Itachi said sarcastically.

Hidan crossed his chest. "I dare numbers one and seven to kiss - on the lips!" He chose this confidently due to the fact Sakura wasn't participating in this round of the game.

Deidara giggled. "I'm number three! I don't have to kiss a guy!"

"I'm number six, so I'm safe," Sasori commented, holding his chopstick.

"Number two," Kakuzu finished, looking at the two Uchiha.

Itachi hid his face in his hands. "I'm not doing this..."

"You have to! If you don't do it, you will have to take two shot glasses of sake! Since two people are doing the task, you have to add another drink!" Hidan argued.

"I know the rules, Hidan. I just..." Itachi had an important choice to make: Kiss his cousin or take two shots.

"Two shots of sake is enough to get a lightweight drunk, Itachi. If you're drunk... You might do a lot of stupid stuff that you may regret in the morning. Just get it over with," Kisame exclaimed from the lap of Sakura.

Shisui turned to his cousin. "Well, ehm... Shall we?"

Itachi closed his eyes tightly as he moved toward Shisui's face. If he didn't look, he wouldn't suffer as much. But if he didn't look, he might bump into something like his cheek or chin. He slowly opened his eyes and panicked as Shisui's face was only inches away.

"I can't do it!" He shouted. He grabbed two, full shotglasses and downed the drinks.

Ehh... Not a smart move.

Itachi wasn't a lightweight, but the fact he didn't eat anything before their 'game' wasn't helping him stay sober. His cheeks flared up in a red hue showing his buzz increasing to a heavier stage. He wasn't gone yet, but if they continued panning out ridiculous and embarrassing tasks he would be drunk enough to leave.

OoOoOOoOoO

"I'm the King now," Kakuzu started, "Number 2 has to give me a neck massage until the next two rounds are over. My neck is killing me."

"What? That's ridiculous!" Sasori protested.

Kakuzu shrugged, "If you don't want to... You can end up like Itachi."

Sasori glanced over at the senior. Itachi's eyes were droopy and his cheeks and nose were a red tint. Itachi had been picked again by Shisui to run around the house once only wearing socks, but he had refused and taken another drink.

"Fine," Sasori accepted. He walked over and rested his hands on Kakuzu's broad neck.

Sakura had already examined Itachi and leaned over to Hidan. "Hey, do you think its time to get the plan ready?"

"Yeah, I'll tell them." Hidan rose from his seat. "Okay, it's ten o'clock. Who wants to go check out the Locker Room Ghost?"

Itachi raised his hand slowly. "Let's go exploring!"

Hidan smirked, "Well, the leader has spoken. I guess if we go on his orders we won't get in trouble!"

"This is going to be so much fun!" Sakura smiled.

Shisui joined in. "I'll drive us there! I've always wanted to see this ghost!"

"Damn, and I really wanted my neck massaged."

OoOoOOoOoO

Sakura had to agree with Deidara. Even the outside of the school seemed much creepier at night. Hidan ran out of the car and jumped the gate. Shisui drove his car around the school a few times until Hidan returned to them with labored breaths.

"They have all the doors locked, but I found a window that could easily be opened. Good news - it's on the first floor. Bad news - it's one of the tiniest windows that lead down to the basement." He faced Sakura. "You'll have to go through and unlock one of the larger windows for us to get in through."

A shiver ran down Sakura's spine. "Go in alone? And through the basement?! Sasori has a small frame - why can't he do it?"

"My shoulders are broader than yours, Sakura-chan." To Sakura, it sounded as though he was just making up a lame excuse.

Itachi blinked his eyes a few times. "Weren'sh you one of'tha onesh who wanted to go? Do it for everyone'sh shake!"

She narrowed her eyes. "For being a little drunk, you talk really weird."

Hidan cupped his hands together. "Please, Cherry-chan? It will mean so much to me if you do this!"

"Wasn't there a rumor about some weird janitor that used to live in the basement? Yeah, he used to watch the girls like a pervert." Deidara smiled, still very buzzed by the alcohol.

Sakura panicked. "I'm not going in there now!" She raced away, but was caught by Kakuzu and Hidan.

"That rumor is exactly what it is - a rumor. Stop worrying and unlock one of the windows," Kakuzu grunted.

Feeling like a sacrificial lamb, Sakura slowly crawled through the window. It was a tight fit, but she squirmed and squeezed until her hands landed onto one of the metal, filing cabinets. She pulled through and carefully dropped to the floor.

It was dark.

Very dark.

She waved her hands aimlessly in front of her as she searched for the staircase. Her heart was pounding. It wasn't because she was afraid of the dark, but what could be lingering _in_ the dark. Every night, when she would finish club activities a little late and night was approaching, she would keep a fast pace - just in case some monster was waiting to attack her.

She occasionally stumbled into boxes and other filing cabinets until she stubbed her toe against the wooden base of the stairwell. Relief washed over her as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Hurrying, she made it through the door (which was luckily unlocked) and ran through the halls.

Her footsteps echoed on the linoleum floors eerily loud. Most likely out of fear, she thought she would occasionally hear the sound of muffled sobs through the walls. She opened one of the classrooms and maneuvered through the desks to the window. She unlocked the hinges and pulled it to its highest capacity.

"Come on!" She half-whispered, motioning them over.

After the boys squeezed through the window, Shisui decided to share the rest of the tale with the amateur ghost hunters.

"The tale goes like this: A junior-year student, Emiko Yo, was constantly picked on for her physical appearance. Throwing wadded-up paper at her during class, spitting in her food during lunch, tripping her in the halls, and even stealing her shoes from her cubby. The bullying got so intense, a group of girls ganged up on her and chopped off her long, black hair to her ears.

"She begged her parents to be transferred to a different school, but they couldn't do much with their income. One day, during P.E. and after another bullying session, Emiko decided that enough was enough. She grabbed one of the jump ropes from the equipment room and hanged herself from the rafters. The P.E. teacher was the one that found her swaying in the middle of the locker room."

Sakura shivered. "That poor girl... Being bullied relentlessly... I feel so sorry for her."

"They say that on the anniversary of her death, her spirit waits in the locker room for the girls to return and enact her revenge," Shisui finished in a hushed whisper.

Kakuzu crossed his arms. "Let's make our way to the locker room. Hidan, it's in the West Wing of the school, right?"

Hidan shrugged. "I dunno. I always thought it was on the East Wing."

"Let's just go to both and get this over with," Sakura sighed.

Deidara leaned over her. "Oooh, what's the matter, Sakura-chan? Scared she'll get you?!" He waved his arms in a way he was sure would scare her.

Sakura rolled his eyes. "Ugh, I'm not scared!"

"I was deathly afraid of Emiko's ghost. When Hana-chan and I snuck in, every few feet closer we were to the locker room we could hear the sounds of someone crying. We definitely didn't want to be attacked by her."

"Has anyone else ever saw her?" Kisame asked.

"Well, this kid from my senior class said that he snuck in... But we could tell he was lying. He told this bogus story about how she tried kissing him or something. He was a pretty vain guy." Damn, why couldn't he be back in high school?

Itachi gulped in a breath of air. "Did you jusht hear that?"

The group stopped and listened for any noises. Being drunk either makes your sense of hearing keener or just makes you believe in false sounds - Itachi, was most likely the latter.

Regardless, his sudden question caused everyone's blood to run cold. If there was a ghost in the school, what would happen to them if they met her? Would she try and enact her revenge on them? Or would she happily talk to them about the weather and send them on their merry way with a bag of treats?

They had reached the West Wing and the group stood quietly at the door to the girls' locker room.

"I didn't hear any crying so this probably isn't it," Hidan complained.

Kakuzu twitched his neck, motioning his friend to the door. "Then open it and see if you're correct."

Hidan's throat tightened. "No! No! I'm the one that surveyed the area around the school! It should be one of you guys!"

Sakura shook her head. "Not me. I went through the basement."

Itachi pushed through his friends. "Don't worry, I'll do it!"

"I guess being drunk raises your confidence and lowers any sense of fear," Sakura muttered as Itachi opened the door.

The hinges squeaked and the Uchiha stepped in. He stood in the middle and bounced on his heels for a few seconds.

Nothing.

"Let's check the East Wing," Hidan said excitedly.

Sasori sighed, "Don't get too excited. You'll only disappoint yourself when you find out the story's fake."

The hallways on the East Wing were drastically darker due to the moon shining through on the other side. It was true though, with each step and each breath, it seemed as though the sounds of weeping could be heard.

Sakura was on the verge of tearing away and jumping back into the car and locking the doors. Her legs were shaking and she held herself tightly. Noticing her silence and trepidatious expression, Kakuzu stopped and held his hand out to her.

"We're here with you, y'know," He mumbled.

Her small hand fell into his as they slowly hall approaching the locker room. Her heart jumped to her throat as the crying immediately broke off as the group stood in front of the door.

"Who wants to open it?" Hidan whispered, his voice shaking.

"I'm definitely not opening it, hm!" Deidara hissed, sobering up completely out of fear.

Hidan turned to Sakura, but he had already predicted her answer. Itachi stepped forward and placed his hand on the handle. "If I die, I allow Kisame-kun to take my place as President."

"I would anyway," Kisame grumbled.

He flung the door open and a high-pitched scream rang through the room and out of the hallway. Hidan yelled out and grabbed onto Sakura with all his might.

Everyone stopped screaming until they realized the awkward scene they had crept upon.

"Asuma-sensei? Kurenai-sensei?" Sakura exclaimed.

A small, crank-powered television sat in front of them. The two teachers sat on the floor with a bottle of sake and blanket covering their lower-halves.

"It's against the rules to have students trespassing on school grounds after hours!" Asuma shouted. Although his voice was rough, his expression was still full of shock.

Instantly sobering up, Itachi stepped forward to examine the situation. "Yes, it is. It's also against the rules for alcohol to be present on school grounds. 'Alcohol on any person can result in expulsion or termination of their teaching duties'. It's quite the conundrum we have here."

Asuma's eyes shifted to Kurenai and back to the group. "We were just enjoying our Wednesday! We do this every week and nobody has ever bothered us!"

"We've only done this once! Please, let us off the hook!" Sakura pleaded.

"Yeah, we were just looking for Emiko's ghost," Hidan added.

Kurenai sighed. "The ghost thing again? Don't these rumors die out in a few years?"

"Getting back on subject, I think we can make some kind of agreement. You know, we won't tell if you don't," Itachi bargained.

The teachers exchanged looks and turned back with irritated expressions. "Fine, but no more trespassing. This is seriously our only alone time we get without anyone bothering us."

Itachi bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Asuma-sensei... Kurenai-sensei." He turned to his friends. "Let's go."

OoOoOOoOoO

Hidan leaned back in his chair, drinking the rest of the soda in his bento. "Man, I really was hoping there was a ghost in the school!"

"I'm glad there isn't one! I almost had a heart attack when I heard them turn off the television and the crying stopped," Sakura confessed.

Kakuzu crossed his arms over his chest. "It wasn't that scary. I knew it was only a rumor."

"Yeah? Then why did you grip my hand so tight when senpai opened the door?" Sakura teased.

Itachi held his head in his hands. "Stop talking so loud. Can't you understand my head is about to explode?"

"That's what you get for not listening to the King!" Hidan laughed.

* * *

**A/N: **

**Sorry about the extreme delay. I won't make many excuses other than going to Vegas for a weekend and becoming an elite procrastinator... :( **

**I had trouble thinking of the outcome of this chapter, but I think it ended very nicely.**

**By the way, OSAMA is not referenced to Osama bin Laden. It's actually the name of the game if anyone is curious. lol. :P Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Anyone have any suggestions for future chapters or some crazy shenanigans they'd like to see the Student Council run into? **

**Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and followers! :)**


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